Emma Raducanu’s name has become synonymous with both dazzling triumphs and headline-grabbing controversies since her meteoric rise at the 2021 US Open. Now, as the tennis world buzzes with the latest drama from the Cincinnati Open, Raducanu once again finds herself at the center of attention—not for her forehand, but for her fortitude in the face of adversity both on and off the court.
It was a sweltering August afternoon at the Cincinnati Open when Raducanu, facing the formidable Aryna Sabalenka—the world’s top-ranked Women’s Tennis Association player—found herself locked in a different kind of battle. As she prepared to serve, a baby’s cries pierced the tense silence, echoing through the stands for nearly ten minutes. The distraction was impossible to ignore. After a few tense moments, Raducanu stepped away from the baseline and addressed the umpire directly: “It’s been like 10 minutes.” The umpire, caught off guard, replied, “It’s a child. Do you want me to send a child out of the stadium?” The crowd didn’t hesitate, responding with a resounding, “Yes!” Raducanu’s gesture to the audience—an exasperated shrug—seemed to say it all.
Despite the distraction, Raducanu managed to refocus, complete her serve, and win the point. Yet, Sabalenka ultimately prevailed in the match. Still, the moment went viral, sparking heated debates across social media and sports forums. Was it fair for Raducanu to request the removal of a crying baby? Or should athletes simply expect distractions as part of the game?
Fans at the match and online overwhelmingly supported Raducanu’s stance. “The umpire acting like it was such a terrible ask! If an adult was making that much noise, there’s no question they’d be [asked] to leave,” one Reddit user commented. Another wrote, “A lot of the news coverage seems to have an implication of some anti-kid sentiment [from] Ms. Raducanu, but the consensus of those in attendance was that the kid was a distraction and needed to go.” The incident reignited the age-old debate: when, if ever, is it appropriate to bring babies to major sporting events? Texas Health experts suggest that babies aged 8 to 10 months, if past the stage of stranger anxiety, can attend public outings—provided parents have a plan for naps and are prepared to leave if necessary. Still, many fans felt that the responsibility for maintaining the decorum of a professional tennis match should not fall solely on the athletes.
This is hardly the first time Raducanu’s composure has been tested under the spotlight. Since her breakout at 18, when she stormed to victory at the US Open, Raducanu has faced relentless scrutiny over her personal life, injury setbacks, and—perhaps most infamously—her frequent changes of coaches. Her decision to pull out of mixed doubles with Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2024 caused a stir, while rumors of a romance with Carlos Alcaraz swirled around her every move at SW19 this year, often overshadowing her tennis.
Through it all, Raducanu has adopted a new approach to dealing with criticism—one inspired by the British Royal Family’s famous “never complain, never explain” mantra. “I’m a lot more clear on what I do and don’t like,” she told the Guardian, reflecting on her much-discussed history of changing coaches. “The experiences that I’ve had with different coaches… People love to say I’ve had so many different coaches but if I went into the details of a lot of them, people would not be saying the same thing. I just don’t do that, because I don’t want to ‘out’ these people. So I keep it to myself. When you see things like: ‘Oh, Emma on her ninth coach’, I’m like: ‘Guys, come on.’ Certain ones don’t count. If you’ve had a trial, you don’t have to carry on after the trial. A few have been trials, a few have been other situations. I just try and take the high road and try to do what the royal family would do.”
Indeed, Raducanu has worked with a veritable carousel of coaches, including Mark Petchey, Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, and Vladimir Platenik. As of August 2025, she’s preparing for the US Open under the guidance of Francisco Roig, the former coach and mentor of Rafael Nadal. It’s a partnership that has fans and pundits alike watching closely, eager to see if Roig’s steady hand can help Raducanu recapture the magic that made her a global sensation.
But it’s not just her coaching choices that have kept Raducanu in the headlines. Her every move—on court and off—seems to attract the glare of the paparazzi. She’s philosophical about it now. “I guess it comes with the territory, people being so curious,” she reflected. “I think they’re more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news. But I just keep to myself, my private life to one side. It’s always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.”
That determination to separate her private life from public scrutiny appears to be serving her well. Even as rumors and speculation swirl—whether about her relationships or her readiness for the next Grand Slam—Raducanu remains focused on her tennis. Her ability to stay composed, even when the crowd or the media threatens to pull her off course, has become one of her trademarks. The Cincinnati Open incident is just the latest example of her willingness to stand her ground, regardless of public opinion.
As the US Open approaches, all eyes will be on Raducanu to see how she handles the mounting pressure. Will her partnership with Francisco Roig bear fruit? Can she silence the doubters and reclaim her place among the sport’s elite? One thing’s certain: whether she’s facing down a top seed or a stadium full of distractions, Emma Raducanu isn’t backing down. And as she continues to navigate the highs and lows of life in the tennis spotlight, she’s doing it her way—unapologetically, and with a quiet strength that’s earning her just as many admirers as her game itself.
For now, the debate over babies at tennis matches rages on, but Raducanu has already moved on—eyes fixed firmly on the next challenge, determined to let her tennis do the talking.
