Roger Federer Gets Death Threat

Written by: Staff on 5th October 2012

Davis Cup World Group play-off between the Netherlands and Switzerland

Roger Federer Gets Death Threat

epa03397358 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer in action against Dutch tennis player Thiemo de Bakker during the Davis Cup World Group play-off match between the Netherlands and Switzerland in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 14 September 2012. EPA/TOUSSAINT KLUITERS |

Security at the Shanghai Rolex Masters is always extremely tight but it will be intensified still more after world no.1 Roger Federer has been the target on an online death threat.

Both the Shanghai police and government agencies have been alerted to investigate the threat after an unknown blogger said he planned to “assassinate” the 31 year-old Swiss in a threatening posting on a much visited Chinese website.

Writing under the sign on of ‘Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07′, the blogger used baidu.com to write: “On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination.”

Federer, his wife Mirka and two daughters have been in Shanghai for several days, preparing for the year’s seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

To make things even sicker and more concerning, the blogger also posted a doctored image showing a decapitated Federer on his knees on a tennis court, with a masked executioner dressed in black and holding an axe posing next to him.

Tournament director Yang Yibin told the Shanghai Youth Daily: “We hope that it was an oral threat only, and the fan won’t take substantive action. However, we have to take it seriously.

“We have contacted the local police and we will upgrade the level of security for Roger. Meanwhile, we will also protect other players’ security.”

Yang would not specify how security has been tightened but insisted Federer’s arrival time in Shanghai was kept secret and the player’s entourage and family were ushered through a VIP channel at Pudong airport.

Topics: Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07, Chinese tennis news, Mirka Federer, Roger Federer, Shanghai Rolex Masters, Swiss tennis news