French Open: Climate change activist disrupts semi-final match; ties herself to net

Casper Ruud made history on Friday becoming the first tennis player from Norway to reach a Grand Slam final. Rudd defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and will now face Rafael Nadal in the French Open final. Ruud who trained at Nadal’s tennis academy in Spain and refers to the Spaniard as his idol. The eighth-seed has never made it past the fourth round at any major tournament until now.

Besides the historic milestone that Rudd achieved, the French Open semifinal will also be remembered for an unexpected 15-minute delay caused after a climate activist disrupted the match by tying herself to the net.

French Open semifinal: Climate Activist disrupts Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic match

The protester ran onto the court and tied herself by the neck to the net during the third set with Ruud leading Cilic 4-1. The climate change activist wore a shirt with the slogan: “We have 1028 days left” before being eventually cut free by security staff. The players returned to their dressing room before the match resumed after a 15-minute delay.

Watch the video here: 

This is not the first instance that a match was disrupted by an outsider. Earlier, during the 2013 men’s final, a shirtless man carrying a fiery flare jumped onto the court. In the 2009 final, a man went up to Roger Federer and tried to put a hat on his head. In the 2003 final, a male streaker hurdled the net.

French Tennis Association issues statement on interruption

The French Tennis Federation, in a statement, said, “The young woman, of French nationality, entered the grounds with a valid ticket early in the day. The security team needed to formally identify the objects she used to get onto the court before they could remove her". The statement also said that the climate change activist was “handed over to the police.”

French Open finalist Casper Ruud, while reacting to the episode, said, “I didn’t really know how to react to it, and ... I didn’t know if she was holding anything. I didn’t get to see too much. So it was a little bit (of a) tricky and difficult situation. Never happened to me before.”