French Open protestor
A female French protestor came on to the court during the semi-final between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud at 2022 French Open
A female environmental activist interrupted the Roland Garros semi-final at court Philippe-Chatrier between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud. The match was delayed by 15 minutes before the players returned with the match level at one set. Ruud eventually won the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
In the third set, a woman walked on to Court Philippe Chatrier, knelt beside the net post, tied something around her neck and fastened it to the net. The protester wore a T-shirt apparently in support of a group of climate change activists, who subsequently posted online to say she was acting on their behalf. The players were taken off the court while security dealt with the incident and led the woman from the court.
Speaking on the incident, Ruud said – “It was a bit scary honestly and I didn’t know what was going on. It seemed she had tied herself and had something around her neck and they couldn’t get rid of her. I didn’t see the T-shirt and what she protested about.”
In an official statement, the French tennis federation said – “An environmental activist managed to get onto Philippe Chatrier Court and attached herself to the net with metal wires and glue. The young woman, of French nationality, entered the grounds with a valid ticket early in the day. She was then handed over to the police.”
The attention was very much on the players irrespective of the stunt pulled off by the intruder. In a thrilling encounter, Norway’s Casper Ruud came back from a set down to beat Marin Cilic. Ruud is now set to face 13-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal in the final.
Nadal is aiming for a record 22nd Grand Slam in Paris and the final against Ruud is undoubtedly going to be a tricky challenge. Nadal and Ruud have never faced each other before on the ATP tour. On paper, Nadal is the outright favourite both in terms of rankings and past history in the tournament. However, the young Norwegian certainly has the potential to spring up a surprise.
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