Yulia Putintseva halted her first-round Wimbledon match on Monday after raising serious safety concerns about a spectator she feared might be carrying a knife.
The world number 33 demanded the fan's removal from Court 15, refusing to continue play until security intervened.
The Kazakh player became visibly distressed early in her match against Amanda Anisimova, telling officials the spectator was "dangerous" and "crazy".
Her alarming accusations prompted immediate action from the chair umpire, who contacted security personnel to address the situation.
Yulia Putintseva halted her first-round Wimbledon match after spotting a 'crazy' fan with a knife
BBC
The incident contributed to a devastating 6-0, 6-0 defeat in just 45 minutes, leaving Putintseva in tears.
During a changeover whilst trailing 3-0 in the first set, Putintseva pointed to a man wearing green and told the umpire: "Can you take him out?
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"I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy."
She added her specific fear about the spectator: "Maybe he has a knife and he will attack after, I don't know."
The umpire responded by phoning security before descending from his chair to speak with two security staff members who were courtside.
Witnesses reported the man had been attempting to talk to Putintseva during her serve at the start of the match.
The 30-year-old won just 21 points throughout the match, making 14 unforced errors and hitting only one winner.
She was seen crying into her towel between games whilst trailing 5-0 in the second set.
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The Wimbledon match as security made their way to the court
BBC
Her opponent, world number 12 Anisimova, acknowledged the disruption after the match.
"I believe the spectator was saying something when [Putintseva] was about to serve," she said. "But I am sure that we were protected."
Putintseva left the court immediately after the final point and did not speak to media.
The All England Club later confirmed: "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."
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The incident comes amid heightened security measures at Wimbledon following recent stalking cases.
Emma Raducanu's stalker was prevented from purchasing tournament tickets after displaying "fixated behaviour" towards her at multiple competitions earlier this year.
The British player praised Wimbledon's security system, telling BBC Sport: "Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK."
All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said last week that security would be a "top priority" at this year's tournament, acknowledging "the concern generated" by recent incidents including Raducanu's stalker ordeal and death threats received by Katie Boulter.
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