Nasir Jabbar
Yulia Putintseva reported a 'crazy' and 'dangerous' fan as she was reduced to tears following her defeat at Wimbledon on Monday.
Wimbledon got underway on Monday as defending male champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Italy's Fabio Fognini in a five-set thriller on centre court.
Emma Raducanu also booked her spot in the next round, easing past British teenager Mimi Xu in straight sets.
Away from the main courts, Putintseva suffered a bruising 6-0, 6-0 defeat to No.12 Amanda Anisimova on court 15.
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But their first round tie was marred by a 'crazy' and 'dangerous' fan that Putintseva raised concerns about during her match.
No. 33 Pusintseva asked for the spectator to be removed from the court early on in the contest after claiming the person could be carrying a knife.
The Kazakh tennis player was later seen in tears.
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Speaking to the umpire during a change of ends, she told the BBC: "Can you take him out, I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy."
Pusintseva then identified the person, pointing towards an area of the crowd.
"Take him out, because maybe he has a knife," she added.
Security were subsequently called and the umpire spoke to them on court, with Wimbledon confirming that the matter had been 'dealt with'.
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A spokesperson said: "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 also weighed in on the situation and said she believed the fan had been saying something 'when Pusintseva was about to serve', saying: "I am sure that we were protected."
Putintseva cut an emotional figure following the incident as she was seen in tears in the final stages of the match before she exited the court immediately after the result.
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She did not speak to the media afterwards.