Roger Federer upset by a security breach at the French Open
World No. 2 and 2009 French Open Champion Roger Federer had a brief security scare after his first round match against Alejandro Falla on court Philippe Chatrier.
Federer was stopped by a fan as he was about to leave the court. The fan tapped Federer’s shoulder and asked him for a selfie. The Swiss was unhappy with the fan and tried to distance himself even as security took a good few seconds to escort the fan away from the court.
“I’m not happy about it,” said Federer. “Today, on centre court, where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, he just wanders on and nothing happens. He didn't say anything. Just all of a sudden he was next to me. I didn't know who he was, and he tried to take a picture.”
“It happened yesterday in the practice, too. It's just a kid, but then three more kids came. Nothing happened, so I'm relieved. But clearly it wasn't a nice situation to be in.”
This is not the first time that a spectator has invaded the court at the French Open. In the 2009 final, a fan tried to place a hat on Federer’s head. A protestor also ran onto the court with flares in hand during the 2013 French Open final between Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
"Normally I only speak on behalf of myself, but in this situation I think I can speak on behalf of all the players," added Federer.
Tournament director Gilbert Ysern felt that security apparatus was in place and it was just a one-off incident.
"It was just a lack of judgment this afternoon. Clearly the security people who were on court did not do the job the way they should have done of course, to say the least," he said. "But it's not the end of the world."