Stunned and shaken, Roger Federer stood on center court during the French Open final wondering if the intruder who had just appeared and ‘got in his face’ posed a threat. Police arrested the man, who will be charged with illegally entering a sports stadium.
The on-court intruder leaped into the area of play early in the second set, getting through a section of photographers sitting in the front row and hopping over the small wall separating them from the red clay. The man tried to put a red beret on Federer’s head and then ran around the court, waving a Barcelona soccer team flag.
In 1993 a man reached over a courtside railing in Hamburg, Germany, and stabbed top-ranked Monica Seles between the should blades – see video below. Seles recovered and returned to tennis in 1995, and won the 1996 Australian Open.
Federer was fortunate that the over-zealous fan was tackled and carried off the court without incident. The Swiss athlete was able to pull himself together and went on to win against Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4, earning him his first French Open title, tying Pete Sampras with a record 14 major titles. He became the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam.
The tennis great said, “Maybe my greatest victory–or certainly the one that takes the most pressure off my shoulders. I think that now, and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace and no longer hear that I’ve never won at Roland Garros.”
View a photo, a close angle video followed by a long view video below.