Sobbing Wimbledon star demands fan is kicked out – ‘Maybe has a knife’ | Tennis | Sport
Yulia Putintseva demanded the removal of a Wimbledon spectator from her first-round match over safety fears. Ranked 33rd in the world, Putintseva interrupted her game against Amanda Anisimova on Court 15 to inform the umpire about an audience member’s “crazy” and “dangerous” actions.
A Wimbledon spokesperson later acknowledged that the situation was swiftly “dealt with”. Putintseva voiced her worries while down 3-0 in the first set, opting to address the issue during a changeover. The tennis star pointed at a person wearing green while imploring officials: “Can you take him out, I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy.”
Despite the chair umpire consulting with three security staff, Putintseva was initially reluctant to continue without confirmation that the issue was handled. The disturbance visibly upset the athlete as she claimed: “Take him out, because maybe he has a knife.”
The tense incident appeared to have an impact on the Kazakhstani’s performance, leading to a quick defeat to Anisimova. The match-up ended in 45 minutes at scores of 6-0, 6-0, and Putintseva avoided giving any post-match interviews. She also appeared to break down in tears at one point late on in the match.
Putintseva scored a mere 21 points throughout and made 14 unforced errors. It marked her second career ‘double bagel’ loss, mirroring her defeat at New Haven in 2017 to Alize Cornet with an identical score.
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Anisimova told the BBC that she believed a spectator had been speaking out “when [Putintseva] was about to serve”, which had likely put her off. She added: “I am sure that we were protected.”
Earlier in the day, Sally Bolton of the AELTC addressed safety concerns, saying: “We’re well-versed in the measures that need to be put in place so players can go about playing here in the confidence they’re being well looked after.”
The incident unfolded amidst an unusually hot day at Wimbledon, where temperatures reached a record-breaking 32.3 degrees Celsius by 4pm on Monday. That surpassed the previous first-day peak of 29.3 degrees set in 2001.
Players resorted to using ice packs, cold towels and drinking plenty of fluids for relief from the blistering heat, while spectators sought shade beneath hats and umbrellas, cooling themselves with handheld fans.
The forecast suggests another scorching day is in store on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to once again top the 30 mark.
