Three fans fainted at different points during the Wimbledon women’s semi-finals on Thursday, with Aryna Sabalenka walking over to the stands to offer bottles of water during her match.
Sabalenka and Anisimova, both aiming to reach the final of Wimbledon for the first time, were at 3-2 and deuce in the first set when Sabalenka stepped up to serve. But she stopped as the umpire called: “Wait.”
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Attention then turned to the stand opposite the umpire on Centre Court, where security made their way among the seats to check on a fan, who appeared to be on the floor between rows.
An umbrella was then set up and Sabalenka, the world No 1, made her way over with a water bottle, offering for it to be passed back to the fan in question. Another crowd member took the bottle and seemed to pass it along.
Play was paused for around seven minutes, as Belarus’s Sabalenka and American Anisimova took their seats courtside. Applause followed when the fan seemed to be standing and escorted out of the arena, with the umbrella used to shield them from the afternoon sun.
The temperature was 29 degrees Celsius when the incident occurred, and even beforehand, many fans – especially in the lower tier – could be seen fanning themselves and wearing hats.
When play continued, Sabalenka held serve to tie the first set at 3-3, but when Anisimova moved ahead at 5-4, there was a longer delay than usual between games, with another fan appearing to faint in the same stand.
Three umbrellas were set up, security again moved to the scene, and Sabalenka once more walked across court to supply a water bottle. Before the next game began, the fan seemed to be helped out of the arena. This time, there had been a five-minute pause in play. During one of the incidents, Sabalenka also brought an ice pack.
“We’ve got a second medical issue, the spectator in the east stand, which is exposed to the sun,” said player-turned-commentator Andrew Castle on the BBC. “A word for the stewards, too, who do such an amazing job at times like this. They're on it in a flash.
Aryna Sabalenka brought water over to a fan who was receiving medical treatment from the heat during her Wimbledon semifinals match ❤️ pic.twitter.com/66wo3o9z5g
— ESPN (@espn) July 10, 2025
Sabalenka went on to lose to Anisimova in three sets, as the latter reached her first grand-slam final by downing the three-time major winner.
Then, in the second semi-final, which pitted Iga Swiatek against Belinda Bencic, there was an eight-minute pause as Swiatek led 3-0 in the first set. Again, a fan had to be treated and helped out of the arena.
