Tennis matches follow a strict no-noise policy. Especially during serves or tense rallies, spectators must keep decorum. No movement. No sound. The goal? Don’t break a player’s focus. But sometimes, things don’t go to plan. We’ve seen it happen, audience members shouting slurs, and even that infamous Wimbledon champagne cork pop during the finals on both the ATP and WTA sides. Bottom line? Keep quiet. This time, Emma Raducanu wasn’t too pleased during her match at Cincinnati.

On Monday, Emma faced off against defending champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and for a while, it looked like the Brit might just pull off something special. She dropped the first set but dug deep to snatch the second, playing fearless tennis. Then came the deciding set, and things got tense. Serving at 3-4, Raducanu found herself battling through a marathon game.

At deuce, with break points looming, she paused her serve after a child cried out. Frustrated, she told the umpire, “It’s been, like, 10 minutes.” The umpire replied, “It’s a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?” Emma Raducanu simply shrugged. But when members of the crowd shouted “yes,” she pointed towards them with a smile. Still, the umpire decided, “I can call in, but we need to continue for the moment.” And so, they did.

What followed was a 13-deuce epic. Raducanu fended off four break points, dug in with grit, and finally held serve for 4-4. The crowd roared, but Sabalenka had the final say. The defending champ regrouped, grabbed the next two games, and sealed her place in the Round of 16, leaving Raducanu with plenty of fight but no ticket to the next round this time.

On the other hand, players have often faced a frustrating moment like this on the court. Remember when Novak Djokovic sharply called out a group of British fans who were drumming loudly and disrupting his post-match interview during the 2023 Davis Cup?

He addressed the fans directly, saying, “Learn how to respect players, learn how to behave yourself,” and when the disruption persisted, he snapped, “No, you shut up, you be quiet.” Djokovic acknowledged that such lively atmospheres are typical for matches. Interestingly, Emma has been through that as well!

Emma Raducanu reacts to crowd disruption in the best way

At Wimbledon, Raducanu gave fans more than just winning tennis—she served up pure entertainment. After beating former champ Marketa Vondrousova to set up a third-round clash with Aryna Sabalenka, her post-match interview was hijacked by a shout from the stands. The 22-year-old laughed, paused when asked about Sabalenka, and then, after another cheeky call, aimed her mic at the crowd, as if letting them answer for her.

It wasn’t her first fan-fueled moment that week. In her opener against fellow Brit Mimi Xu on a scorching Monday, she got a surprise mid-break—a champagne cork whizzed past her head after a bottle popped in the stands on Court 1.

Raducanu just rolled with it. “I’m glad people were having fun today,” she smiled afterward. “I saw a champagne cork fly onto the court so that was fun, glad you guys are having a good time, cheers to you!” The crowd loved it, and she kept her run going.

Her Cincinnati Open campaign may have ended early, but she pushed Sabalenka to the limit. Next stop: New York. Could the 2021 US Open champ light it up again? Share your thoughts in the comments below!