Heckler regrets Rusedski 'out' call
The man who caused Greg Rusedski to lose his temper by wrongly calling "out" from the crowd has vowed never to return to Wimbledon.
Evaldas Zilionis claims he shouted to try to induce a double fault from Rusedski's opponent Andy Roddick, but it went wrong when the British number two ignored the ball, lost the point and went on to lose the match.
Zilionis, a Lithuanian accountant who lives in Kingston, has also offered to pay the £1,500 fine the star incurred for his subsequent four-letter-word outburst.
The 29-year-old now claims he will "never, never" return to the All England Club and intends to "lie in shame".
He said: "Words cannot describe how I feel. I'm unbelievably guilty. It's just stupid. I won't do it again."
Zilionis, who lives with his girlfriend Jurate, described the incident as "the biggest cock-up" he had ever been responsible for and said the crowd turned on him when it affected Rusedski's game.
He said: "It wasn't a huge reaction at first but when Rusedski lost his serve they started shouting 'you moron, what have you done?'
"I thought the point would be replayed. I feel I let him down so badly. I'll never go back to Wimbledon. I will just shout at my TV set. If Greg calls me, I will pay his fine."
Zilionis, who arrived in England 10 years ago, said he was an avid tennis fan and had visited other Grand Slam competitions where he had put off players. He said he had called out when Venus Williams was playing at the French Open, making her double fault.
He also said he would still try to disrupt other sports events and target teams playing Manchester United.
Rusedski exploded at umpire Lars Graff when Zilionis's false call cost him a crucial point. He ranted: "I can't do anything if the crowd calls it. Some w****r in the crowd has changed the match." He later apologised.
This morning, Rusedski's wife Lucy said he was in a "reflective" mood. "He's got to pick himself up," she added. "It's a game, you get passionate about it and you say things you regret."
