‘It’s ridiculous’ - Crowd agrees with Emma Raducanu following umpire's exasperated response to unusual issue

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Members of the crowd stepped in to back Emma Raducanu after she raised an unusual concern during her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka.

Raducanu was beaten by the World No.1 at the Cincinnati Open on Monday following a noisy distraction in the third set.

4 Raducanu was left frustrated by constant crying from a child Credit: TennisTV

4 And the crowd sided with Raducanu after the umpire's response on the issue Credit: Sky Sports

As the Brit star prepared to serve to Sabalenka, she was forced to reset as a crying child could be heard from the stands.

This was an issue that Raducanu had clearly managed to ignore beforehand, but this time she raised her concern to the umpire.

After halting her serving motion and walking back to use a towel, she then turned to the umpire, saying: "It's been, like, 10 minutes."

The umpire then replied: "It's a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?"

That response then led to members of the crowd interjecting, with plenty saying 'Yes' from the stands.

Raducanu then chuckled and motioned to those agreeing with her from around the court.

She continued to reset her focus with a disappointed look returning to her face as she waited for another response.

After that, the umpire seemed to change her mind, saying: "I can call it in, but we need to continue for the moment."

Raducanu was then forced to carry on playing and did manage to get her next attempt at a serve away.

She went on to hold her serve in that game, but eventually fell to a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 defeat to Sabalenka.

4 Raducanu went on to lose to Sabalenka in Cincinnati

'It's ridiculous'

talkSPORT host Simon Jordan has defended Raducanu for pointing out the crying child in the crowd in Cincinnati.

Jordan said in discussion with fellow host Jim White: "I don't think it's very helpful for an umpire to have responded that way.

"The umpire was trying to maintain some popularity with the audience because, ultimately, the tennis players were distracted.

"If a tennis player is in the middle of serving and someone shouts out, they'd be the first person to be reprimanded and told the audience has got to be quiet and mindful."

He added: "I'm not sitting there being some horrid person, it's me looking at it thinking - it's ridiculous.

"I wouldn't bring a young child, theatres don't allow people to bring young children into an auditorium when actors are in the middle of acting, so they can scream out.

4 Jordan believes that the umpire should have stepped in Credit: talkSPORT

"The fact of the matter is, it's not appropriate. It's not mean-spirited, I'm simply saying it's not appropriate."

Jordan then continued, appealing for there to be an age limit in place at tennis events, if there isn't one already.

"I would suggest that there should be an age limit in place," he said.

"And ultimately...you can't bring a baby into a live sporting event.

"Let's have a screaming kid in snooker, when you've got a leading snooker player leaning down and hearing 'Wahhhh'.

"It's not a child-free zone, it's an age-appropriate environment, it's not the same thing."

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