Earlier this week, a young fan managed to breech security at the French Open and go up next to Roger Federer to take a selfie with the tennis star.
Federer must have been pretty unnerved by the scene, because he's reacted in a pretty severe way: In subsequent appearances, Federer is draped in a security detail of at least 14 men, making him virtually inaccessible to any crazed fan.
Sure, the young fan meant no harm, but it must have clued Federer in to just how easily someone could come up and do him harm. That, mixed perhaps with concerns from the French Open itself, led to the star receiving a security assignment that seems larger than President Obama's when he is meeting-and-greeting with citizens.
There may be no snipers positioned and ready to take action, but the scene is pretty tense nonetheless. And it's a strange turn for Federer, who is typically very friendly and jovial with his fans. Instead of smiling, waving and signing autographs, Federer spends his public time looking down at his phone.
Hopefully it's just a temporary response that will ease up as Federer regains his nerves and settles down. But it will be interesting to see if there are any lasting effects.
Perhaps a better solution to encasing professionals in security muscle is to simply tighten the measures taken to control the crowds in the first place, particularly in a sport that saw the stabbing of Monica Seles.
