Yulia Putintseva asks for ‘dangerous' Wimbledon spectator to be removed during match

New York Times

16 hours ago

WIMBLEDON — Yulia Putintseva said she wouldn't continue her Wimbledon first-round match Monday until a spectator she said was 'dangerous' and 'crazy' had been removed.
Putintseva, the world No. 33, was visibly distressed, saying that she feared the spectator was carrying a knife. During a change of ends down 3-0 in the first set to No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova on Court 15, Putintseva identified a man that she wanted removed.
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'Can you take him out, I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy,' Putintseva said.
The umpire got off his chair to speak to security staff and reassured Putintseva that they were in place.
'Take him out, because maybe he has a knife and he will attack after,' Putintseva said as she reluctantly got off her chair to resume the match. Clearly upset by the incident, Putintseva lost the match 6-0, 6-0 in 45 minutes and covered her face as she cried at the change of ends ahead of the final game.
One person present at the match said that the spectator in question had been speaking in Russian about the war in Ukraine. Putintseva has represented Kazakhstan since 2012 but was born and raised in Moscow and initially played under the Russian flag.
The All England Club did not reveal whether the fan had been ejected, but a spokesperson said that: '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, told the BBC that she believed the spectator had been saying something 'when (Putintseva) was about to serve.' She added that she had felt safe, saying: 'I am sure that we were protected'.
Putintseva, a 30-year-old who last year beat Iga Świątek en route to the Wimbledon fourth round and who didn't speak to the media Monday, has had a challenging couple of weeks. In her previous event, the Bad Homburg Open, she was involved in a confrontation with Maria Sakkari at the end of their first-round match. Putintseva had just lost a tight two-setter and didn't meet Sakkari's eye as they shook hands. The tensions spilled over and Sakkari stepped over to Putintseva's side of the court and said 'nobody likes you' after being told to 'go f— yourself'. Putintseva has had her fair share of confrontational moments over the years and was condemned at the U.S. Open in August for dismissively ignoring a couple of balls that a ball-girl threw towards her.
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Putintseva's fears followed incidents this year involving Emma Raducanu and then Świątek. Raducanu was reduced to tears mid-match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February when a man who was found to be exhibiting 'fixated behaviour' turned up at her match, having stopped her the previous day to ask for a photo and give her a letter. The same man was then blocked from applying for Wimbledon tickets in this year's ballot.
Świątek had a practice session interrupted at the Miami Open a month later by a man who hurled insults at her.
Wimbledon's chief executive Sally Bolton said in June that the safety and security of its players was the tournament's 'top priority'. She added Monday in a media briefing that: '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.'
Wimbledon continues Tuesday with the remaining first-round matches. Anisimova will play Mexico's Renata Zarazúa in the second round Wednesday.