Putintseva Raises Safety Concerns at Wimbledon

Yulia Putintseva voiced serious worries about her safety during her first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday. She requested that a spectator she deemed “crazy” and “dangerous” be removed from the audience.

During her match against American Amanda Anisimova on Court 15, the World No. 33 brought her concerns to the judges’ attention while switching sides at 3-0 in the first set.

“Can I take him? I’m not going to continue playing until he leaves,” Putintseva mentioned on the BBC broadcast. “These people are dangerous, they’re crazy.”

Visibly upset, she was prompted to identify the individual in question.

“Maybe he has a knife and he’ll attack after that, I don’t know,” she added.

Ultimately, Putintseva lost to Anisimova with a score of 6-0, 6-0 and did not speak to the press afterward.

The All England Club later stated, “The issue has been addressed.”

Additionally, spectators at the match were overheard discussing the war in Ukraine while speaking in Russian. Originally from Moscow, Putintseva has represented Kazakhstan since 2012.

This incident follows a similar occurrence involving Emma Raducanu at a match in Dubai, where she was visibly emotional due to the crowd’s behavior.

In this year’s Wimbledon, measures have been taken to prevent accused stalkers from buying tickets.

Raducanu had a successful first-round match, defeating Minge Xu 6-3, 6-3. She is set to face Markéta Vondroušová in the second round, while Anisimova will compete against Renata Zarazoua.

Wimbledon will continue until Sunday, July 13th.