ROGER FEDERER IS RATTLED AS A FAN JUMPED ON COURT FOR A SELFIE, SECURITY WAS SNOOZING BIG TIME IN PARIS

Written by: Staff on 25th May 2015

ROGER FEDERER IS RATTLED AS A FAN JUMPED ON COURT FOR A SELFIE, SECURITY WAS SNOOZING BIG TIME IN PARIS |

French Failure: Security Does Nothing As Kid Confronts Federer by Ricky Dimon

Roger Federer of Switzerland in action against Alejandro Falla of Colombia during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 24 May 2015. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Roger Federer’s 2015 French Open campaign got off to a stellar start on Sunday, when he made routine 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 work of familiar foe Alejandro Falla. Leave it to the French, however, to make sure nobody was talking about Federer’s performance.

That’s because what happened immediately afterward stole the show. A random teenage kid jumped onto the court as Federer was making his way out and started badgering the 17-time Grand Slam champion to pause for a selfie. A confused Fererer obviously declined. But the kid lingered…and lingered…and lingered some more.

Say what you will about the U.S. Open and all of its controversial scheduling procedures and alleged failures to deal with rain, but these kind of shenanigans would never happen in New York. The kid would have been body-slammed to the ground no more than a second or two after slithering his way onto the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. He then would have been forcefully dragged into the tunnel, never to be seen or heard from again.

But not this kid. Not at Roland Garros.

After finally giving up on a picture with Federer despite nothing more than one random person softly telling him to leave, the kid proceeding to walk all the way around the red clay. Not once was he confronted by any kind of security person–or any person in general.

“I’m not happy about it–obviously not for one second am I happy about it,” Federer said during his press conference. “It happened yesterday in the practice, too. It’s just a kid, but then three more kids came. And today on center court where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, he just wanders on and nothing happens. Normally I only speak on behalf of myself, but in this situation I think I can speak on behalf of all the players, that where you do your job, that’s where you want to feel safe.

“I definitely think something needs to happen quickly.”

Federer better not hold his breath. After all, the chances of something happening quickly are slim; maybe even none. In fact, tournament director Gilbert Ysern even commented that the incident is “not the end of the world” and “there is no reason for us to change security procedures.”

But why should we be surprised about those flippant remarks? This kind of stuff has been going on for many years in Paris. In the 2009 final between Federer and Robin Soderling, a crazy fan got on the court and tried to drape a flag over the Swiss’ head. The 2013 final between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer was delayed when a lunatic protester ran onto the court with a flare.

The French folks seem to be of the opinion that none of this matters until someone gets hurt. That, of course, is when the time for legitimate security will be far too late.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 2015 French Open, Alejandro Falla, Atp World Tour, Clay tennis, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Tennis News

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May 25, 2015 at 12:45 pm

-@rogerfederer IS RATTLED AS A FAN JUMPED ON COURT FOR A SELFIE, SECURITY WAS SNOOZING BIG TIME IN #PARIS- http://t.co/lA7iGXKCXW @Dimonator