PARIS — Roger Federer was not amused.
As Federer finished an interview after his first-round French Open victory Sunday, an overzealous fan left his seat and approached the 17-time major champion right there on the main stadium court in search of the most modern of mementos — a cellphone selfie.
At first, Federer seemed startled. Then he looked uncomfortable, trying to brush away the unexpected guest, who appeared to be in his teens, before a guard led the spectator away. And in the end, Federer was angry at what he considered a serious lapse in security.
“I’m not happy about it. Obviously, not (for) one second (am I) happy about it,” Federer said, adding that something similar happened a day earlier, when several kids interrupted his practice session at Roland Garros. “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.”
Tournament director Gilbert Ysern headed to the locker room to offer a personal apology and also spoke to Federer’s wife, Mirka, in the players’ lounge. Ysern called it “embarrassing” and acknowledged Federer “has good grounds for being unhappy,” but chalked the whole thing up to “lack of judgment” on the part of the security staff that let the intruder get by.
“Honestly,” Ysern said at a news conference, “at this stage, there is no reason for us to change the security procedures.”
It was, as far as Federer was concerned, the most noteworthy development on Day 1 at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Like No. 2 Federer, who beat Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, most seeded players progressed without a hitch.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@WSJ
