Sports

Security tightens around Federer after death threat in China: report

Roger Federer has been targeted by an online death threat in China and organizers of the Shanghai Masters tournament have tightened security around the top-ranked tennis player this week, according to channelnewsasia.com.

An unknown blogger posted on a popular Chinese website that he planned to “assassinate” Federer.

“On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination,” read the message, posted under the name ‘Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07’ on baidu.com.

The commenter also posted a doctored photo of a decapitated Federer on his knees on a tennis court with a masked executioner dressed in black and holding an axe next to him. Police and government agencies have been contacted to increase security around the Swiss star, officials told Shanghai Youth Daily.

Violence against tennis players are rare, but they have occurred. In 1993, female tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a fan during a match in Hamburg, Germany.

Federer was involveed in an odd encounter with a spectator himself three years ago. A fan invaded the court at the 2009 French Open and tried to put a beret on Federer before being tackled by security officials.