A WIMBLEDON star feared a “crazy” fan had a knife courtside – before losing in 45 minutes without winning a game.
World No33 Yulia Putintseva halted her first-round clash on Monday to report the spectator to the umpire.
Yulia Putintseva demanded Wimbledon ejected a fan from the stands[/caption]
The chair umpire spoke to the security midway through the first set[/caption]
Bystanders said the man had been attempting to talk to Putintseva, 30, during her serve at the start of her match against American Amanda Anisimova on Court 15.
She said: “Can you take him out because maybe he has a knife? I am not going to continue playing until he leaves.
“These people are dangerous, they are crazy.”
Play resumed after the chair umpire consulted security personnel, but it was unclear if any action was taken against them.
It is understood that the spectator was not carrying a knife and would have been searched for weapons by ground security when entering.
A visibly emotional Putintseva, ranked 33rd in the world, lost 6-0, 6-0 in a match lasting only 44 minutes.
She won just 21 points and made 14 unforced errors in a dire showing against the No13 seed.
The Russian-born player also hit just one winner and, while 5-0 down in the second set, began crying into her towel between games.
Pushed on the fan incident, Wimbledon head of operations Michelle Dite told SunSport: “We’ve been very upfront about this, that if the players have got any concerns, if they feel that there’s something that doesn’t feel quite right, they absolutely should bring it to light.
“We would rather know about these things.
“So in terms of those conversations, protocols were followed, and the matter was dealt with.”
Ms Dite added it was not a stalking-related incident.
She went on: “There was an issue raised by one of the players.
“We want to create the best possible theatre for them to come and do their thing.
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“One of the players had some concerns, they went and spoke to the umpire, we checked it all out with security.”
Wimbledon bosses played down the incident, including Putintseva’s “knife” remark.
A spokesman insisted: “Security was in the area. The issue was dealt with.”
Russian-born Putintseva previously sparked outrage when she told a rival star to “go f*** yourself” during a warm-up event.
Fellow player Maria Sakkari had told Putintseva “nobody likes you”, before the firebrand star snapped back: “Go f*** yourself”.
Putintseva broke down in tears at 5-0 in the second set[/caption]
She was involved in a spat with Maria Sakkari at a warm-up tournament[/caption]
