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Federer upset over fan who stormed tennis court for 'selfie' at French Open

"I'm not happy about it, obviously not one second I'm happy about it," Federer said of the incident.

By Doug G. Ware

PARIS, May 24 (UPI) -- Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was fuming mad during his post-match press conference at the French Open Sunday -- and that was after a victory.

The former No. 1 ranked men's player in tennis wasn't upset about his play, though -- he dispatched Colombia's Alejandro Falla easily in straight sets Sunday.

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He was upset by what happened after the match.

As Federer took in the cheers of the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier, a fan ran onto the tournament's famous orange clay court and made a beeline right for the Swiss star -- apparently for a "selfie."

"I'm not happy about it, obviously not one second I'm happy about it," Federer said. "It happened (Saturday) in the practice, too. And today on center court, where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, just wanders on and nothing happens."

Federer was clearly surprised by the fan's sudden presence on the court. He was perhaps even more surprised that he made the approach entirely unimpeded. No security guard. No tournament official. No one.

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"I definitely think [change] needs to happen quickly. But obviously I want this to happen immediately," he added. "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."

The unidentified fan who approached Federer had been sitting close to the court in box seats, and was ultimately detained by tournament officials, ESPN reported. Ultimately, they banned him from attending the remainder of the tournament, which runs through June 7.

Federer was likely frustrated because this weekend's were his second and third fan encounters at the French Open. During the 2009 event, another fan approached him following his victory in the championship match.

Federer said he spoke to the tournament's director following the incident on Saturday, and again after Sunday's.

"Of course his comments made sense," French Tennis Federation director Gilbert Ysern said. "He was pissed off with what happened in court. He has good grounds for being unhappy.

"It's embarrassing, of course ... It simply shows that we collectively, as an organization, made a mistake and we will have to correct that, of course, and make sure it doesn't happen again."

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"I'm sure they will take the necessary steps now, but this doesn't only mean for this tournament for this year; it means for all the tournaments we play all the years coming up," Federer said.

Ysern said that nothing will change with the security procedures, but he did say the venue's security guards will have to be much more observant and vigilant not to let fans get onto the court.

Federer advanced to the second round, where he will play Spain's Marcel Granollers Tuesday.

"We need to make sure that it's safe out there and people don't just wander on the court like a free pass," Federer said.

"Clearly it wasn't a nice situation to be in."

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