Angry Federer blasts French Open after security scare
Roger Federer blasted French Open organizers Sunday after a fan breached tight security and raced on to court to grab a ‘selfie’ with the Swiss great.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner had just completed a routine 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Colombia’s Alejandro Falla when he was shocked to see a young fan sprinting towards him on the showpiece Philippe Chatrier Court.
It was particularly embarrassing as security at this year’s French Open has been tightened following January’s deadly Islamist attack on Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Article continues after this advertisementAlthough the male fan was quickly manhandled away, 33-year-old Federer was furious with the lapse in security, claiming he had also been targeted in practice on Saturday.
“I am not happy about it. 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, just wanders on and nothing happens,” said Federer.
“Something needs to happen quickly. Normally I only speak on behalf of myself, but in this situation I think I can speak on behalf of all the players, that that’s where you do your job, that’s where you want to feel safe.
Article continues after this advertisement“And so clearly I’m not happy about it…it wasn’t a nice situation to be in.”
Federer was also involved in a security scare in the 2009 final at Roland Garros when a fan ran on to the same court and placed a hat on the star’s head.
Two years ago the final, which featured Rafael Nadal, was also held up when a spectator, brandishing a flare, leapt from the stands and onto the court before he was wrestled away by security officials.
Tournament director Gilbert Ysern admitted that Federer was right to be “pissed off” and that the youth, who had been sitting in the courtside sponsors boxes, had been banned from the event.
“But it’s not the end of the world,” said Ysern.
“It’s embarrassing. It shows that we made a mistake and we have to correct it to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Wawrinka also fumes
Federer, the 2009 champion and seeded two this year, goes on to face Spain’s Marcel Granollers for a place in the last 32.
Federer, one of a record 39 men over 30 in the first round, is desperate to make the most of a kind draw which dumped top seed Novak Djokovic, nine-time champion Nadal and third seed Andy Murray all in the opposite half.
Federer’s Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, the eighth seed, took just 96 minutes to make the second round, seeing off Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Wawrinka, who made the last-eight in 2013, goes on to face either Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.
But he too was unhappy with organizers after the tournament’s official website went into surgical detail regarding his private life.
Former Australian Open winner Wawrinka announced last month that he and his wife Ilham were separating but he was furious to discover that his personal problems were the focus of the website’s preview of his opening round match.
“For a Grand Slam website, it should be an article about the tennis,” said Wawrinka. “It was a shit article.”
Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori enjoyed a 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win over France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu and next faces either Australia’s Marinko Matosevic or Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil.
Latvian 24th seed Ernests Gulbis, who knocked Federer out in the fourth round last year on his way to the semi-finals, defeated Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) for only his third win all year.
Romania’s Simona Halep, the 2014 runner-up and third seed, saw off Russian world number 91 Evgeniya Rodina 7-5, 6-4 and next faces Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the Croatian player who knocked her out of the US Open last year.
Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion, battled back to defeatc Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Makarova breezed past US wildcard Louisa Chirico 6-4, 6-2 while Spanish 21st seed Garbine Muguruza, who shocked Serena Williams in the second round last year, beat Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5.
Croatian 18-year-old Donna Vekic, coached by 1997 champion Iva Majoli, put out French 31st seed Caroline Garcia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her first win at the tournament.
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