He was touched by the hand of greatness in Paris, but only after being chilled by the paws of a tawdry trespasser. Roger Federer had to outmanoeuvre more than Robin Soderling in winning his first French Open on Sunday.
A member of the public's decision to contaminate the Swiss artisan's day by entering his private domain was hardly a time to trigger widespread guffawing in the Parisian boulevards.
A preposterous figure who goes by the moniker of Jimmy Jump is facing the threat of a year in prison in France not for his bizarre cameo - he tried to adorn Federer with a Barcelona FC hat - but because of the implications of what he could have done.
How he managed to get the jump on half a dozen security guards should be studied with as much intensity as how the artful Roger prepares a backhand.
The Swiss player is not the first sportsperson to find their space invaded during working hours. In the times in which we live, there are security implications for such a breach that tennis, in particular, must study somewhat solemnly.
It was the stabbing of Monica Seles at the German Open in Hamburg in 1993 that probably flashes across Federer's mind, and any other player, when a spectator decides to hightail it onto a court.
Gunter Parche, a crazed fan of the victim's rival Steffi Graf, knifed Seles in the back. It plunged a dagger into a career that had digested eight grand slams. She needed psychological treatment.
She returned in 1995, but landed only one more major title at the Australian Open.
The ability of the public to invade major sporting events has long since lost a comical edge, if they ever had one. Streakers are tiresome and selfish exhibitionists, but interlopers sometimes contain a more menacing ideology.
Cornelius Horan deprived the Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima of celebrating marathon gold in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
With less than four miles left of the marathon he floored the leader. Lima recovered ground, but won only bronze.
Horan, a defrocked Catholic priest, had appeared on the Silverstone track carrying some sort of biblical message during the British Grand Prix of 2003 as cars whizzed past him. He was hardly acting in good faith.
The barmy James Miller parachuted himself into a world heavyweight boxing bout between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe in 1993. He became snagged on the ropes and was hammered by the minders of Bowe.
He recalled himself as the only man to have been knocked out in the Las Vegas ring that night.
People seem to have encroached upon sporting events since the suffragette, Emily Davison, threw herself in front of King George V's horse, Anmer, during the Derby at Epsom in 1913. Davison died from her injuries. At least the pursuit of the women's right to vote in the UK possessed some political worth.
There have been similar outlandish outbursts in several football grounds, and other arenas.
The Australian bowler Terry Alderman damaged a shoulder in flooring a spectator during the Ashes in 1982.
A brutish South African rugby fan once attacked a referee during a Tri-Nations match between the Springboks and New Zealand.
Sports such as tennis and golf are self-policed. Football needs a fleet of policemen to ensure fans follow a code of conduct, golf needs only a rope. The unhinged get everywhere. It is difficult to check the hand baggage and mental well-being of spectators who unfurl themselves on such occasions. Such individuals contaminate the good name of sport, spoilsports to those around them.
If Jimmy Jump finds himself holed up in a Paris cell for several months, then he can perhaps be held up as an example of what should become of habitual sporting intruders. If you cannot do the time, don't do the crime.
dkane@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
