Roger Federer is fed up with what he said is a lack of security patrolling the courts at Roland Garros.
Following his opening-round straight-sets victory over Colombian Alejandro Falla at the French Open, a male fan rushed the court to grab a selfie on his cellphone's camera. Security didn't stop the fan or detain him immediately after running onto the court.
It wasn't until Federer motioned to security that the fan was taken away. This is the second consecutive day Federer has had a fan approach him on a tennis court to take a photograph. It caused Federer to question the security practices of the tournament's organizers.
Federer didn't hold back when he was asked about it in his post-match press conference.
"I'm not happy about it. Obviously not one second I'm happy about it," Federer said, according to the Associated Press. "It happened yesterday in the practice, too. I think it's true for all players that you have to feel safe when we play, feel safe on the courts. It shouldn't happen too often. It's happened twice in two days and also in 2009 during the final. I think people should react more quickly. First, it should never happen."
Federer said tournament director Gilbert Ysern apologized to him about the incident.
A fan rushing the court is a scary scenario for tennis players, given what happened to former No. 1 great Monica Seles. During a Germany tournament in 1993, a fan of Seles' rival Steffi Graf rushed the court and stabbed Seles in the back with a knife. The fan later admitted he did so to help Graf regain the world No. 1 ranking.
As for Sunday's particular incident with Federer, Ysern said a particular security guard's "lack of judgment" was to blame and that security protocol will not change.
For Federer, if this fan had a crazed motive for rushing the court, it could have ended badly considering he approached from Federer from behind. Fortunately for Federer, the fan only wanted a selfie.
But the concern is all too real among tennis players, which is why Federer is demanding for the French Open to increase its security measures.
"We need to make sure that it's safe out there and people don't just wander on the court like a free pass, you know," Federer said, via ESPN.com. "That's how it's supposed to be."
Federer advanced to the second round of the French Open with his 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Falla.
