The Laver Cup was interrupted in extraordinary circumstances on Friday afternoon when during the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman a climate activist invaded the court with a flare and proceeded to set fire to both his own arm and the playing surface.
A capacity crowd as well as the players were left stunned as the young man, dressed in jeans and wearing a T-shirt bearing the words ‘End UK private jets’, beat the security cordon at London’s O2 Arena and sprinted to bear the net where he sat down with the lighted flare.
Greece’s Tsitsipas of Team Europe and Argentina’s Schwartzman of Team World, who were just about to start the second set of the second match of the tournament, came to the side of the court while security guards rushed on to deal with the protestor.
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One put out the fire on the court, and then three carried the man away and out of the arena allowing the match to continue after after Tsitsipas asked the question of umpire James Keothavong it was soon assessed that there was no lasting damage to the playing surface that would prevent further play, or affect the players’ footing when moving at speed.
It was an unwanted and embarrassing incident for the organisers on the same day that 20-time grand slam winner Roger Federer was due to take to the court later in the evening for his final match – pairing up with long-time rival Rafa Nadal in the doubles against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.
The 24-year-old Tsitsipas managed to maintain his concentration having won the first set before the break, and he closed out a 6-2, 6-1 win to ensure that Europe won the first two matches of the event.
This was just the latest in a series of climate change protests seen in the UK as the phenomenon struck top-level sport. The protests have included holding up road traffic on motorways and other roads, scaling and gluing themselves to an oil tanker and locking themselves to cars, and disrupting activity at oil terminals and dairy plants.
The cameras in the live Eurosport coverage cut away from the protest, and the incident was glossed over in the post-match on-court interview conducted by Tim Henman.
As he sat in the press conference after the match, winner Tsitsipas was clearly still shocked by what he had witnessed at such close quarters during the one-sided contest.
He said: “He came out of nowhere and I had no idea what it was all about. I have never had an incident like that happen to me on court. I hope he is all right.
“It is correct that I did speak to the umpire and just wanted to make sure that the court surface was okay and safe. I wanted to proceed in that match without any minor changes to the court, and wanted to make sure it was playable.
“Especially in that area [near the net]. It also got in my way in terms of my viewing experience of the court, the way I saw it later. There was a big mark over there and I wanted it be cleaned up in order for me to proceed the way I did before.”
However he re-composed himself quickly to remember and pay tribute to the real star of this Laver Cup – the retiring Federer.
Tsistsipas added: “It has elevated all of our senses watching Roger play, it has been a spectacular thing. It is such a privilege to even be here in the team for his last dance. I have worked hard to be sitting there next to him and the other greats. And this is the ultimate, there are so many great champions involved, the greatest gladiators we have seen. Not just in this era – but ever.”
