Yulia Putintseva raised concerns about a ‘crazy’ and ‘dangerous’ fan who left her fearing for her safety during her first-round defeat at Wimbledon on Monday.
The 30-year-old Kazakh was beaten 6-0, 6-0 by world No 12 Amanda Anisimova on Monday in a match that lasted just 45 minutes.
Pusintseva, the world No 33, asked for the spectator to be removed from court 15 early on in the contest after claiming they could be carrying a knife. She was later seen in tears.
‘Can you take him out, I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy,’ she told the umpire during a change of ends when trailing 3-0 in the first set, according to the BBC.
Pointing towards an area of the crowd, she identified the person as wearing green, before adding: ‘Take him out, because maybe he has a knife.’
Security staff were called and the umpire spoke to them on court, with Wimbledon later confirming that the matter had been ‘dealt with’.
Yulia Putintseva broke was visibly emotional after a first-round loss at Wimbledon
The 30-year-old buried her face in a towel during a 6-0, 6-0 defeat by Amanda Anisimova
Putintseva had raised security concerns about a fan and told staff to remove them before continuing
The BBC reported Putintseva told the umpire she did not wish to continue until the fan was removed.
A spokesperson for the All England Club said: ‘Following a complaint about the behaviour of a spectator at the match on Court 15, the chair umpire informed security and the matter was dealt with.’
Anisimova later said she believed the spectator had been saying something ‘when [Putintseva] was about to serve’ but added: ‘I am sure that we were protected.’
The incident left Putintseva emotional, with tears visible in the final stages of the match before she dashed off court immediately after the match.
Putintseva’s fears on Monday will prompt fresh scrutiny of security measures for players at Wimbledon – an issue that was already in the spotlight after Emma Raducanu’s terrifying ordeal with a stalker earlier this year.
Raducanu, 22, was reduced to tears in Dubai in February after spotting a man in the stands who had previously followed her across four countries.
The stalker, who had approached her in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha before handing her a letter in Dubai, was later given a restraining order and added to a global tournament blacklist.
The man, who has never been named, attempted to buy Wimbledon tickets through the public ballot but was blocked by organisers after the Dubai incident came to light. In Indian Wells in March, Raducanu admitted: ‘I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe.’
Emma Raducanu became visibly distressed during the Dubai Open earlier this year
Putintseva was involved in a heated row with Maria Sakkari at an event in Germany last week
She appeared to have taken exception to Putintseva’s handshake over the top of the net
Wimbledon chiefs have insisted player safety remains their ‘absolute top priority’. All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said last week: ‘The recent incidents coming to light, we certainly recognise the concern generated by that.
‘But we have in place – and have had for many years – processes for ensuring the safety of our players. That is in liaison with law enforcement agencies, specialist security teams and we liaise with both tours.’
It comes after Putintseva was embroiled in an on-court spat with Maria Sakkari just last week in Germany. After refusing to look Sakkari in the eye during their handshake, Putintseva appeared to tell the Greek star to ‘go f***’ herself, sparking a heated confrontation that required the umpire to intervene.
She was also heavily criticised last year at the US Open for ignoring a ballgirl during a match against Jasmine Paolini, later apologising for her ‘terrible behaviour’ and admitting she often gets ‘p***ed’ and curses on court.
Putintseva, who famously beat former World No 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon last year en route to the fourth round, did not speak to the media after her match.
Anisimova, meanwhile, will now face Renata Zarazua in the second round on Wednesday as she looks to continue her charge at SW19.
