Roger Federer: Fans flinch as star furiously lashes ball out of arena against Rafael Nadal
ROGER FEDERER sent fans into panic as he furiously lashed a ball out of the area at the French Open.
French Open: Crowd flinches after Roger Federer hits ball
Federer was giving it his all in a thrilling semi-final showdown with Rafael Nadal.
However, that was not proving enough to cause the King of Clay any substantial problems.
Nadal took the first two sets 6-3, 6-4 in a battle of the highest quality.
And when the Spaniard broke for 2-1 in the third set, Federer thumped a ball high into the crowd in frustration.
The action scared the entire front row on court Philippe-Chatrier.
And one frightened fan jumped out of his seat so much his cap flew off his head.
World No 3 Federer is usually one of the calmest players on the ATP tour.
But this rare blip shows how annoyed he is to not be able to match the ability of Nadal on clay.
Nadal went on to claim the final set 6-2 and book his place in the final where he will meet the winner of Novak Djokovic vs Dominic Thiem.
If the Spaniard is successful this weekend then it will take his Grand Slam tally up to 18.
That would be three more than Djokovic and just two fewer than Federer’s all-time record.
Federer is due to return to action at the Halle Open as part of his preparations for Wimbledon.
The Swiss star will be one of the favourites to win the grass Grand Slam, as he has on eight occasions.
However, Djokovic will be out to defend his crown.