A climate change protester set fire to the court and his arm during a match at the Laver Cup tennis event at the O2 Arena on Friday, momentarily delaying the start of the second set between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman.
The protester walked onto the black court and sat near the net, carrying a lighter and wearing a white T-shirt with a message concerning private jets. Security guards ultimately hauled the individual away.
“It came out of nowhere. … I never had an incident like this happen on the court,” Tsitsipas, the runner-up at the 2021 French Open, said afterwards. “I hope he’s all right.”
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After putting his arm on fire on the court between sets, a climate change protester temporarily disrupted a Laver Cup match. EPA/Andy Rain Tsitsipas talked with the chair umpire to ensure that play could resume and requested that a mark left on the court be cleaned up.
“A man accessed the court this afternoon and was promptly removed by security,” the Laver Cup said in a statement. “Play was stopped briefly, he has been arrested, and the police handle the situation.”
Tsitsipas won 6-2, 6-1 over Team World’s Schwartzman to establish Team Europe a 2-0 lead in the match.