Male fan 'chokes' tennis star

Exclusive by James Saville And Carla Eberhardt

A CRAZED fan pounced on tennis ace Venus Williams after dodging five layers of Wimbledon security to creep into her dressing room.

The man forced the frightened American star into a choke-hold before he was finally bundled to the ground by a bodyguard.

Security for the 23-year-old player - beaten by sister Serena in yesterday's final- was supposed to be on high alert at the time of the attack after fears she was being pursued by an infatuated stalker.

But there were claims last night that at least one official left the dressing room unguarded after going home 20 minutes early.

Venus was said to be "horrified" that the man - described as 5ft 10ins and scruffy - managed to get so close to her.

A Wimbledon source said: "This nutter managed to get into a strictly forbidden area - it's an outrage. He went past five security guards during his path to the dressing room and should have been checked for a pass." The intruder, thought to be obsessed with the sisters, entered the grounds as a paying spectator and slipped unnoticed into the players' lounge. Then, as Venus and her sister Serena walked out of their dressing rooms side-by-side after a doubles match last Tuesday, he walked into the dressing room.

"Security had no idea," the source said. "He started taking photos and at first the sisters thought he might have been a photographer."

But the man suddenly lunged at Venus, swinging his arm around her neck and yanking her towards him.

"There was a mad struggle as the pair's personal bodyguard stepped in," said the source.

The minder - hired by the millionaire sisters - pushed Venus and the man back. He then wrestled the intruder to the ground, but couldn't hold him.

Police were quickly radioed by security, but the intruder dashed for the nearest exit.

Several guards from Securicor - the firm employed to look after the tennis stars at the All England Club - gave chase. He was cornered yards away from the exit. "The whole drama left Venus and Serena shaking," said the source.

He claimed the players' enclosure was not being properly guarded because at least one official "knocked off early".

"They are meant to work from 10.15am to 9.30pm. But it gets so quiet later on that some slip off 10 or 20 minutes early - and this is what happened," he claimed.

A Securicor spokesman said last night: "A visitor was taking photos of Venus which made her feel disgruntled. A man was detained by police, a formal warning given and he was released."

A spokesman for Venus said: "She doesn't want to comment except that she felt the bodyguard handled the situation excellently."

It is the latest in a series of security scares to hit the tournament. Last week a Daily Mirror reporter got a job with Securicor as a guard protecting tennis stars with fake references.

And at last year's championships Serena was stalked by German fan Albrecht Stromeyer, 35.

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/n...name_page.html