Furious Roger Federer Once Bashed French Open Officials for Their Laxity After Fan Broke All Rules

The French Open is an important tournament for many champions. However, as demonstrated in a noteworthy event from 2015, even the most composed minds can falter when met with challenges. Such an incident occurred when Roger Federer found himself face-to-face with an overzealous fan on the court of Roland Garros. And Federer even admitted that he was “not happy” with the whole accident.

Back when celebrities were getting used to having fans take selfies with them, Roger Federer faced an intrusive situation on-court during the French Open tournament almost a decade ago. After winning his opening match, while he was walking away from the court, an enthusiastic tennis lover went close to Federer and put his arms around him. Not only that, he immediately took out a phone and tried to take a selfie with the then-17-time Grand Slam winner.

Although the security guards took the man away in mere moments, he had a huge impact on the Swiss Maestro. Later in an interview, he confessed, “I’m not happy about it. Obviously, not for one second am I happy about it.” Moreover, Roger admitted how this happened during his practice session as well. “It happened yesterday in the practice, too. It’s just a kid, but then three more kids came,” Federer claimed.

Roger Federer later explained how he felt relieved that nothing had happened, but he also questioned the safety of players on the court. “Normally I only speak on behalf of myself, but in this situation,” Federer noted, adding, “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.” The 42-year-old tennis icon also urged the officials and authorities of the tournament to take this matter more seriously as he continued, “I think that in terms of safety, they should be well-educated. They should know what they do.”

After the incident, Federer admitted that he received apologies from the then-director, Gilbert Yisen. But he was more concerned about the measures needed to tighten the security parameters. However, this was not the first time that Roger Federer experienced such an intrusion during his tournament. Just two years before this incident, another similar situation raised eyebrows about the security of players on-court.

Interruptions faced by stars like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in other matches

Rodger Federer was entangled in another intrusion on the court back in 2009. A photographer jumped from his place and went up to Federer, proceeding to interrupt his play. Even that incident made everyone concerned about the safety of players, but sadly, it does not end there.

During the final match of the French Open tournament in 2013, with Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer on the court, a protester ran on with a flair in his hand. He was quickly removed from the field, but everyone, including the players and the audience, was terrified by the situation. However, the final match continued, and nobody suffered any injuries during the incident. Subsequently, it raised questions about the safety of the crowd and the athletes.

All these encounters have been a reminder of how important it is to focus on the security of players during tennis matches. Moreover, these repeated stances further call for scrutiny in maintaining a balance between having a “fan moment” and respecting the athlete’s sense of safety and accessibility.

What’s your take on these impromptu exchanges between tennis players and their fans? Let us know below.