Environmental Protester Sets Arm on Fire on Court at Laver Cup

The incident led to a stoppage in play in the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman.

A protester lit his arm and an area of the court on fire during a match at the Laver Cup tennis event Friday, briefly delaying the start of the second set between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman at the O2 Arena in London.

The activist, who was wearing a white t-shirt with a message that said “End U.K. private jets,” made his way onto the court during a stoppage in play between the first and second sets. He sat down near the net and using a lighter, lit a small portion of the black court and his arm on fire.

The protester was eventually carried out by security guards. No update was given about his well-being, though it appeared his arm was no longer on fire when he was removed from the court.

“A man accessed the court this afternoon and was promptly removed by security,” the Laver Cup said in a statement, per the AP. “Play was stopped briefly, he has been arrested and the situation is being handled by the police.”

The incident wasn’t the first such demonstration to take place at a major tennis event this year. At the French Open in June, a protester wearing a T-shirt with the message “We have 1028 days left” interrupted the men’s semifinal between Casper Ruud and Marin Čilić by kneeling on the court and attaching herself to the net with metal wires and glue.

Friday’s incident took place just hours before 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer took the court with longtime rival Rafael Nadal for the final match of his career.

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