Organisers of the Swedish Open have insisted that they have ‘adequate security’ at the tournament after a man managed to invade the court during David Ferrer’s Semifinal match against Fernando Verdasco.
The incident occurred during the early stages of the second set when a man walked freely onto the court during a rally between the two Spanish players. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the phrase ‘Revolution: Support the Nordic resistance movement‘. The Nordic Resistance Movement is a right-wing neo-Nazi party in Scandinavia. Once on the court, the man rose his right arm to give a Nazi salute and said ‘Heil victory’ as well as other phrases.
“It was not good, not good this incident. Sometimes it is dangerous because you never knew who the guy was.” Ferrer said about the incident during his press conference.
Saturday’s security breach at the tournament has prompted criticism. Some are questioning how the individual managed to stay on the court for so long without any police surrounding him. The tennis tours have implemented strict security protocols since Monica Seles was stabbed in the back at the 1993 Citizen Cup in Germany.
Talking about the surreal situation, Ferrer described the person as a ‘madman’ and admitted that he felt scared during the fiasco.
“I was scared when he was talking about that.” He said about the man’s chanting. “Maybe he is a crazy guy. I don’t know exactly.”
In the wake of the breech, the Swedish Open has confirmed that they will increase security guards around the court for Sunday’s final, when Ferrer will play Alexandr Dolgopolov. Tournament director Christer Hult has rejected the implication that there is an issue with security at his event.
“We can not clog each door, then we have essentially built a two-meter high wall and the audience will not see. We have adequate security,” he told Helsingborgs Dagblad.
According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, the man has been formally arrested on trespassing charges. There is currently no information about the individual available.
Video of the incident
