Federer and the "Selfie" Kid.

J

JRAJ1988

Guest
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/tramlines/video--roger-federer-turns-away-court-invading-boy-wanting-a-selfie-at-french-open-140307709.html#uk-fb-po

Click on the link at your own volition, no spoilers here.

Why in the blue hell was that kid just allowed to get onto court followed by other kids wanting a "selfie" with Federer, Roger has every right to be peeved and kudos for him for keeping his gentlemanly composure. He really is a classy gent by the way.

Haven't "Tennis Security" peoples learned from the Seles incident? I know it's just a kid wanting a picture but you never know right?. Didn't some blokes with flares gatecrash Ferrer vs Nadal at the French Open final in 2013?

Back in my day an autograph would suffice, my day was the 90s lol. I've read about "After Sex" Selfies, Selfie sticks what the hell? Maybe I'm just too old.
 
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SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
Bizarre incident to say the least. I can see why Federer was distraught, it is quite disturbing when you consider the possibility of just anybody wandering onto the court and doing whatever he wants for what feels like forever until somebody intervenes. There is a time and place for player to fan interaction and it certainly isn't where it took place in that incident. I thought people had learned from the Seles stabbing incident…

In before vero says "how arrogant of Fed to push his fan away, I told you that he doesn't care about them"
 
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Deleted member 734136

Guest
What's wrong with people?

There's a time and a place to ask players for autographs/pictures, respect that.

After the Seles incident, who knows what a court invader intensions are?
 

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
What's wrong with people?

There's a time and a place to ask players for autographs/pictures, respect that.

After the Seles incident, who knows what a court invader intensions are?

Totally agree but it's just not like him - he seemed VERY angry and his reaction doesn't really match up to the situation.

I would thought he would just smile, do the selfie and then give out
about it after.
 

heninfan99

Talk Tennis Guru
roger-federer-attacked-at-french-open.jpg


I'm glad. The kid needs to learn manners and respect!
We all remember Seles.
 
It's always at the French isn't it?

It happened in 2009, 2013, and now this.

The French love these sort of things.

Had it been here in Sweden we would probably cancel the entire tournament and then re-host it 4 months later with completely empty stands because the security risk is deemed too high.
 

dh003i

Legend
Even though it was only a kid, he really can't be cordial and ok with it, because that would just encourage more of the same.
 

m2nk2

Hall of Fame
Yeah, who was this little ****? This selfie thing needs to stop in general, it's ridiculous.
 

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
The French love these sort of things.

Had it been here in Sweden we would probably cancel the entire tournament and then re-host it 4 months later with completely empty stands because the security risk is deemed too high.
reminds of when you beat the record of the smallest crowd for a DC tie...

back on topic, it also happens at wimbledon !

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or also...

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how about AO and USO ?!
 

Terenigma

G.O.A.T.
Federer had every right to be angry about this. Also people saying it was a kid, give me a break. That "kid" looked at least 14 and that does not automatically mean they are harmless by any stretch of the imagination. Security should be onto that kid before he gets anywhere near Federer, let alone be stood next to him for 13seconds trying to get a selfie.
 
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Deleted member 734136

Guest
....But in theory, that kid could've punched Federer right in the face if he wanted to......

Yes. Safety first. Always.

When you are taking a picture with someone, you can't see the other person's arm going behind your back, who know what could happen?
I think it's better to be a little rude and safe than sorry and injured.
 

wy2sl0

Hall of Fame
You guys drive me nuts. It is NOT OK to do what he (fan) did. What makes the kid entitled to run onto the court and harass Roger? I know what you are thinking "it's just a kid! he just wants a picture!" He already stayed to sign autographs and has his entire career even after practice sessions. The line has to be drawn somewhere, or Nadal and him would spend the entire day signing autographs and talking to fans.

If you notice, he put his hand on the kids shoulder when he came up beside him and probably politely said not right now, sorry and smiled at him. It wasn't until he forced the issue and whipped out the camera did he get angry.

If you start allowing this, it will happen all the time. Are you guys seriously brain dead?
 

MAX PLY

Hall of Fame
Letting any non-authorized person run on the court is completely unacceptable. The fact that the person turned out to be relatively harmless is fortuitous and beside the point.

Fed actually handled it as well as he could. He certainly cannot encourage that behavior as if he's seemingly ok with it, others will try. He was very justified in his harsh criticism of the lax security.

Frankly, I would be perfectly happy (and very entertained) had they tased the invading little twerp and left him writhing on the clay. And if then Fed wanted a selfie with the twitching, electrified junior creep, I'd buy the pic and frame it.
 

Pagoo

G.O.A.T.
He always acts all smug. And that's on his best days. On his worst days, he throws empty bottles over his shoulder in ballkids' faces.

Yes, we all know your greatest desire is for Federer to get hurt and leave tennis. I'm sorry that didn't happen.

Federer said the same thing happened yesterday during practice and of course in 2009.

Get over yourself. Nothing smug about what Federer did. It was a breach of security and should not be encouraged.

Seriously, you need professional help when it comes to Federer. The guy has seriously messed with your psyche and left you in ruins.
 
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Pagoo

G.O.A.T.
Letting any non-authorized person run on the court is completely unacceptable. The fact that the person turned out to be relatively harmless is fortuitous and beside the point.

Fed actually handled it as well as he could. He certainly cannot encourage that behavior as if he's seemingly ok with it, others will try. He was very justified in his harsh criticism of the lax security.

Frankly, I would be perfectly happy (and very entertained) had they tased the invading little twerp and left him writhing on the clay. And if then Fed wanted a selfie with the twitching, electrified junior creep, I'd buy the pic and frame it.

Lol, lol. That would be a sight.
 
Even though it was only a kid, he really can't be cordial and ok with it, because that would just encourage more of the same.

Agree. It's not like this kid was a little 5 year old. He looked like a young teenager. Why isn't he capable of waiting by the practice courts like everyone else? Let's let him break the rules to give everyone the idea they can do the same. This kid has no shame. I'd be embarrassed if I pulled something like that.
 

Pagoo

G.O.A.T.
Agree. It's not like this kid was a little 5 year old. He looked like a young teenager. Why isn't he capable of waiting by the practice courts like everyone else? Let's let him break the rules to give everyone the idea they can do the same. This kid has no shame. I'd be embarrassed if I pulled something like that.

Agree. And you have some knuckleheads talking about how smug or arrogant Federer is.Yeah, right. He should have embraced the boy, patted him on the head and given him his direct phone number.:roll:
 

LapsedNoob

Professional
The world is full of crackpots. You never know when "just a selfie" will turn into " a selfie of me and Fed just before I cut him."

Remeber the guy who wrote a letter to Fed disowning him after Fed donned a cricket shirt? That guy had said he modelled his marriage after Feds. Fandom + crackpot = never let anyone near the players.
 

Pagoo

G.O.A.T.
Considering the amount of hate Federer receives on here, he would do well to be extra careful when he's out and about.
 

Steve0904

Talk Tennis Guru
The most disturbing part was that the kid was just allowed to walk off the court on his own after the incident happened. That should raise serious questions about the security at RG.
 

90's Clay

Banned
These players today are so insulated by borderline mafia groups you can barely get any autograph or pictures with them. You do what you gotta do to get a selfie.

When I was at flushing watching Nadal on the practice some few years back, the minute he was done practicing, 50 of his entourage surround him an hustle him off the practice court
 
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Sysyphus

Talk Tennis Guru
Haha, Froome did indeed fire some shots against Fed on twitter. And no other than Sergiy Stakhovsky answered this:

"It's nice when a doping star compares himself with the pure sport star and offer him to ''toughen up''"

:lol: that dude..
 

Warmaster

Hall of Fame
Haha, Froome did indeed fire some shots against Fed on twitter. And no other than Sergiy Stakhovsky answered this:

"It's nice when a doping star compares himself with the pure sport star and offer him to ''toughen up''"

:lol: that dude..

I'm not on twitter, but Stakhovsky keeps trying to convince me! :lol:
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
The security breach was inexcusable and Federer had every right to play holy hell about it. It wasn't even the first time this had happened to him. In the 2009 final, some guy approached him during play and tried to place a paper hat on his head. He almost succeeded before the security guys caught up with him and hustled him away. Nadal was also approached by a guy holding a firecracker who waved it in his face before getting caught by the security guys.

That said, if I were Fed (a bit presumptious, but still...) I would have let the kid take his selfie and then I would have hurried away. That way, the kid was happy and it would look good to the media and be good PR for him. He could then let loose on the RG organisers afterwards in private and maybe threaten to withdraw from all future appearances at RG if these security breaches aren't plugged and prevented from happening in the future.

The Seles incident back in 1993 should be serving as a permanent warning to all tournament organisers!

Just my twopennyworth.
 
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D

Deleted member 733170

Guest
Haha, Froome did indeed fire some shots against Fed on twitter. And no other than Sergiy Stakhovsky answered this:

"It's nice when a doping star compares himself with the pure sport star and offer him to ''toughen up''"

:lol: that dude..

What did that 'charismatic' legend Froome actually say?
 
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OhYes

Guest
How many times now ?
We had many cases after Seles, that security showed as incompetent, weak or just not existing at all. She was quoted in 2011 as saying "From the time I was stabbed, I think the security hasn't changed". And we really have to aks ourselves - when will new Seles accident happen, when will organisers realise that players are in danger ?

Just few months ago, did we forget ?
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There were all girls, so it looks as benigne incident, but so does Novak's and Andy's security, they've looked very benigne.
 

RF-18

Talk Tennis Guru
Should not be encouraged.

Why should fed take a selfie when he is uncomftorable in the situation and wonders how the hell the kid came in? What if it was someone other than the kid, a full grown man who genuinly wanting to hurt him, that came in? What would have happened with fed then?

Very bad safety. Fed is one of the biggest sport stars and is known globaly, I can understand that he thinks the worst possbile scenario even when it is a kid.
 

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
I didnt see any anger. He just gently touched the kids shoulders and pushed him away.
according to vero (i think we'll all agree that we can trust on her unbiased judgement) it looked more like this:

eBsLa.gif

(just replace the ax by a wilson racquet, but it's a detail... you get the idea)
 

Sysyphus

Talk Tennis Guru
What did that 'charismatic' legend Froome actually say?

Made no less than three tweets telling Fed to "Harden up", and talking about how spectators have been responsible for several broken bones during this Giro etc.

If you ask me it's firstly quite poor taste considering the Seles incident and so on. I think what his example actually shows is that cycling needs stricter security. No athletes should have to risk getting their bones broken by crazy spectators...

It's pretty bad when some people become so high and mighty that it becomes illegal to approach them. A president/royalty is one thing, but a tennis player??? "We have time slots for us to have the peons worship us, and this isn't the time."

There are lots of crazy people out there in the world (shouldn't have to look further than this forum, lol), and being one of the richest entertainers in the world one is certainly more at risk. Is this really news?
 
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It's pretty bad when some people become so high and mighty that it becomes illegal to approach them. A president/royalty is one thing, but a tennis player??? "We have time slots for us to have the peons worship us, and this isn't the time."
 

dh003i

Legend
Since the FO organizers apparently can't be relied upon to have security capable of preventing this kind of thing, maybe the players should mandate that they be allowed to have their own security detail on-court with them and bill the FO for the cost.
 
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