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Tabloid reporter`s security breach causes embarrassment at Wimbledon
London, June 29: Security at this year`s Wimbledon tennis championships is under the spotlight after a tabloid newspaper reporters bluffed his way into a job of guarding the world`s top tennis stars, including defending women`s champion Serena Williams.
London, June 29: Security at this year's Wimbledon tennis championships is under the spotlight after a tabloid newspaper reporters bluffed his way into a job of guarding the world's top tennis stars, including defending women's champion
Serena Williams.
A British newspaper reporter applied for a job at the tournament through the official tournament website, providing false references and a fake CV.
For his first day in the job he guarded championship favourite Serena and then looked after her sister Venus, world no 1 Andre Agassi and Wimbledon fifth seed Andy Roddick as well as outgoing men's champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Both Serena and Venus have reportedly been the targets of stalkers and ten years ago, Monica Seles was stabbed on court.
Wimbledon bosses have previously declared this year's security to be the tightest ever.
The Daily Mirror pictured its reporters standing next to Hewitt, as well as young stars Jelena Dokic and Daniela Hantuchova.
Labour MP Tom Watson called for an immediate probe into safety at Wimbledon.
"It's outrageous security at Britain's no 1 sporting event could be breached so easily," said Watson.
A spokesman for Securicor, the firm charged with overall security at the event, said: "We take any security breach very seriously and will conduct a thorough review of all our operations to ascertain how this person came to be employed this year.
The Mirror quoted the head of Securior, Ken Wood, as saying prior to the tournament that "security has been transformed since Seles".
Bureau Report
A British newspaper reporter applied for a job at the tournament through the official tournament website, providing false references and a fake CV.
For his first day in the job he guarded championship favourite Serena and then looked after her sister Venus, world no 1 Andre Agassi and Wimbledon fifth seed Andy Roddick as well as outgoing men's champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Both Serena and Venus have reportedly been the targets of stalkers and ten years ago, Monica Seles was stabbed on court.
Wimbledon bosses have previously declared this year's security to be the tightest ever.
The Daily Mirror pictured its reporters standing next to Hewitt, as well as young stars Jelena Dokic and Daniela Hantuchova.
Labour MP Tom Watson called for an immediate probe into safety at Wimbledon.
"It's outrageous security at Britain's no 1 sporting event could be breached so easily," said Watson.
A spokesman for Securicor, the firm charged with overall security at the event, said: "We take any security breach very seriously and will conduct a thorough review of all our operations to ascertain how this person came to be employed this year.
The Mirror quoted the head of Securior, Ken Wood, as saying prior to the tournament that "security has been transformed since Seles".
Bureau Report