The incident ended the promising career of Monica Seles
Fans are an essential aspect of every sport. After all, if not fans, who will support the players? Who will watch matches, be it in stadiums or on screen? In short, no fans = no revenue. Therefore, fans are a crucial aspect of every sport.
While most fans, despite being crazy, are often sane, the same cannot be said for all. The word “crazy” reminds us of a fan who did an unimaginable thing to a tennis star, and there’s a possibility that the IPL could be in a similar situation.
Indians or Indian cricket fans may not be aware of Monica Seles, a legendary tennis star in the 80s and 90s with nine Grand Slams to her name. It was Seles who overtook Steffi Graf, another tennis legend, to become the world No. 1. Seles’ dominance was such that Graf could not find a comeback, and her career took a downward curve.
Given that both players had diehard fans, while Seles’ fans were jubilant, Steffi Graf’s fans were saddened by her downfall. However, one fan in particular was angry, and he blamed Seles for Graf’s downfall.
The angry fan’s name was Günter Parche, and he had decided to take matters into his own hands. In 1993, when Seles was playing a match against Magdalena Maleeva in the Citizen Cup quarterfinals at Hamburg, Parche breached the fence and caused grievous bodily injury to Seles with a kitchen tool.
Luckily, the wound wasn’t fatal, but the episode left Seles with a trauma. In fact, she could not return to court for two long years. In 1996, she made her comeback; even though she had the spark, it wasn’t the same.
Be it tennis, football or cricket, pitch invasions happen because, for diehard fans, a second with their sporting idol is a dream come true. However, how many pitch invasions do we come across, let’s say, in the Premier League or La Liga?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) took off merely a week ago, and we have already had two pitch invasions. While fans and commentators celebrate when a fan does such a crazy stunt, the aftermath leaves a bitter taste in the fan’s memory.
In most cases, the fan is manhandled by the security forces and often sent to jail for a night or two. All this for a player who doesn’t even know the fan’s name or will not remember his face by the time the player plays his next ball.
Not to forget, if it’s a fan, one need not worry, but what if it is not a fan? What if somebody like Parche attacks a player in the IPL? Questions like these must be asked or considered by the security forces because remember, cricketers are loved and hated in this country. If they perform well, they are the heroes, but if they don’t, their effigies are burnt on the streets.
A tournament like the IPL must strengthen its security inside the stadium because an incident like Seles could be awaiting. Last but not least, even big names such as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni should give out public messages and request fans not to indulge in such activity. Although it may seem like a harmless gesture, it could prove dangerous or lethal for an unfortunate soul.
