First Wimbledon women’s semifinal halted twice due to unwell supporters on Centre Court

Thursday’s Wimbledon semifinal between Aryna Sabalenka and American Amanda Anisimova was halted by two stoppages in the first set due to spectators being taken ill in the stands.

World No 1 Sabalenka had saved two break points to force deuce against Anisimova, the No 13 seed, with the scoreline at 2-3 in the first set when play first came to a halt and a spectator was seen and tended to.

Sabalenka immediately responded by bringing a bottle of water and an ice pack to the section of the crowd in the East Stand, where the spectator was sitting, while stewards rushed to provide umbrellas for the member of the crowd. Centre Court applauded the No 1 seed for her quick reaction.

Aryna Sabalenka comes to the aid of a fan in need with a bottle of water and ice pack as the heat at Wimbledon continues to rise on and off the court! 🥵 #Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/tOcFL3Oxvz

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 10, 2025

Umpire Damien Dumusois instructed both players to take a seat courtside while the unwell spectator was tended to before the players took back to the court following a six-minute stoppage.

Sabalenka proceeded to dispatch the deuce at her first attempt, and the pair traded holds of serve until the change of ends after the top-seed served for 5-4, when play was again suspended with a spectator seen to by stewards. Sabalenka again offered her bottle of water into the crowd as several umbrellas shielded the member of the crowd, with both players returning to their seats either side of the umpire.

The two incidents are not the first instances of spectators being taken unwell in the stands at this year’s Wimbledon championships. Carlos Alcaraz similarly offered a water bottle to a spectator during his first-round match against Fabio Fognini. American men’s No 1 Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, saw his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina paused several times due to similar issues within the stands.

Temperatures during the early-afternoon clash at the All England Club were up at 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit), with the lower sections of the crowd in the East Stand unshaded against the sun.

The grass-court tournament has coincided with two British heatwaves this summer, with the early days of the competition seeing temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius, recording the hottest-ever opening day of the two-week London event.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Tennis, Women’s Tennis

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