Who Hired These Guys? - June 8, 2009

For those of you that missed it this weekend, Roger Federer's straight set sweep of Robin Soderling in the French Open final, which helped Federer complete the tennis grand slam, was more eventful than the score may have indicated.

Thanks in part to an unexpected visitor.

Halfway through the men's final at Roland Garros a spectator jumped onto the court carrying a Barcelona flag and somehow made his way all the way over to Federer. The man then preceeded to place a hat atop Federer's head and was soon after, although it felt like an eternity, apprehended by security.

Wow.

How in the world is it possible that some random dude can jump on the court and touch one of the players? And not just any player, but Roger Federer!

Is security that bad? Maybe the French Open should consider scouring local airports to find some better guards because these guys looked like they could use some help (and we all know the airport could spare a few security guards).

A tip: Just stay away from the Cleveland airport. Apparently people in that area know little about defense these days.

"You think we should stop him?"

Another thing that shocked me was the poise that Federer exuded throughout the whole fiasco. Maybe he was simply dumbfounded, but here is a guy carrying the flag of your arch rival (Rafael Nadal is from Spain) running towards you. How are you so calm!? Protect yourself!

If I'm Derek Jeter, i'm running full sprint in the opposite direction if I see some crazed Red Sox fan carrying a Red Sox flag heading towards me. The same actions should have been taken by Federer. This could have turned out real bad and Federer could have possibly gotten hurt, or worst.

But instead Federer simply stood there and allowed the guy to place the hat on his head, claiming later that he seemed "harmless." Sure, he did. But so do puppies before they bite.

In any case, congratulations to Federer on your first French Open and for finally completing the grand slam. Its quite an accomplishment and well deserved.

And thanks to the mysterious fan who made a straight set tennis final an enjoyable one.