Security Breached at U.S. Open After Nadal Match
Minutes after beating Gael Monfils last night on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2009 U.S. Open, Rafael Nadal was standing by his chair changing his shirt when a man rushed onto the court and hugged Nadal while also planting a kiss on Rafa’s cheek. Another shocking security lapse following the incident involving Roger Federer at the 2009 French Open. The
security guards did reach the intruder as he was hugging Nadal and grabbed him and escorted him immediately off the court. To Nadal’s credit, he was smiling and seemed amused, rather than scared, by the incident. In his post-match press conference, Nadal said, “For me, it wasn't a problem. The guy was really nice, he said, 'I love you,' and he kissed me." Nonetheless, police arrested the man afterwards for interference with a sporting event and he faces a possible one year prison sentence and $5,000 fine.
How did the man reach Nadal? Given what happened to Monica Seles years ago at a tennis tournament in Germany while she sat in her chair, one wonders how this can still be possible on a high-profile stage such as Arthur Ashe Stadium. The U.S. Open takes player and fan safety very seriously and has added additional security personnel for the Wednesday night matches. However, it seems clear that there need to be security people behind the players’ chairs during changeovers, across the court from the players’ chairs and in the four corners of the court. At the same time, there should be video cameras scanning the lower seats so that security personnel on the court can be alerted if/when someone is running onto the court to approach a player. These may sound like extreme measures, but think about security near the stage of a rock concert? Imagine Serena Williams' reaction if a fan approached her on the court and gave her a kiss? How would you feel if a complete stranger ran up to you and hugged and kissed you while you were sitting in the stands watching a tennis match or walking down the street?
When security needs to be very tight for President Obama, it can be achieved. This shouldn’t have happened again at a major tennis tournament and the security must be improved immediately.
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