‘Take him out’: Yulia Putintseva demands fan’s removal over knife scare at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, LONDON: Wimbledon player Yulia Putintseva recently requested the removal of a spectator during her match at Wimbledon, suspecting that the fan was carrying a knife. 

This incident happened during the changeover in the first set of Putintseva’s play against Amanda Anisimova, where she eventually lost. The World No. 33 described the spectator as “dangerous” and “crazy,” and she refused to continue playing until the individual was escorted out of the game. 

“Can you take him out? I’m not going to continue playing until he leaves… These people are dangerous. They are crazy. Take him out, because maybe he has a knife,” the athlete told the umpire. 

Furthermore, Putintseva pointed out the spectator’s location in the crowd and described the colour of his clothes to make sure that the right person would be removed from the premises. The umpire was then seen consulting with the security personnel before play finally continued.

Sally Bolton, the AELTC chief executive, explained concerning the situation: “We’re well-versed in [security] 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 match resumed, with Anisimova securing the win with a final score of 6-0, 6-0.  Putintseva did not speak to the media after the match, but Anisimova believes that the spectator said something when Putintseva was about to serve. 

Stalkers in tennis matches

This is not the first time that a female athlete has experienced uncomfortable encounters with spectators. 

Emma Raducanu was also given additional security at this season’s Indian Wells tennis tournament with protection from a former U.S. Secret Service agent. This was due to the disturbing stalking incident she faced in Dubai. 

At the time, Raducanu spoke about the incident, saying, “I was obviously very distraught… I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish’…I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe.” 

She added, “There were two instances… It was the second one that I just got freaked out by… The first one was more like a normal fan approaching you, except for the fact that he told me he followed me everywhere…And then he kind of watched me in the coffee shop for a while. The second incident was really worrying.” 

With the current incident at Wimbledon, the athlete said, “Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job… ‘I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK.” 

“I know that I am not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won’t be the last–not just as an athlete, but females in general,” she remarked.