Watch: Protestor sets himself on fire during Laver Cup clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman, whisked away by security
The second singles tie on Day 1 of the 2022 Laver Cup had an unexpected visitor, as a protestor interrupted the clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman much to the shock of the crowd gathered at the O2 arena.
The man, unidentified as of now, then proceeded to set himself on fire before being whisked away by security. According to early reports from journalists and fans on the scene, it appears the protestor was wearing a t-shirt that read "End UK private jets" -- potentially signaling a protest against climate change and the inaction towards rectifying it from the country's elite.
A protester has just set his arm on fire @LaverCup. Crowd are stunned at the 02 Arena as security pull him off the court https://t.co/3YLMEJBwOT
Thankfully, the man did not get anywhere close to the players, as the security guards on site were on alert and wasted no time in removing him from the arena, physically carrying him away from the site of the crime.
Didn’t catch it but this guy shuts set himself on fire, just WTF #LaverCup https://t.co/Z1u5Sjgkwo
On the tennis side of things, Tsitsipas went on to take the first 6-2 and then earned an early break to race to a quick 3-1 lead in the second. From there on, he won the final three games to close out the match 6-2, 6-1 in comfortable fashion. Earlier, Casper Ruud defeated Jack Sock in the first singles tie to give Team Europe a 1-0 lead over Team World.
On-court invader lifted (literally) off the court 😭 https://t.co/XHoTgFNyvU
Andy Murray takes on Alex de Minaur in the third singles tie on Day 1 of the Laver Cup, followed by Roger Federer's farewell match
In the night session of Day 1 of the 2022 Laver Cup, Andy Murray will take on Alex de Minaur, hoping to consolidate Team Europe's lead. Then, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will partner together in the final match of the day to take on Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, which will mark Federer's final ATP encounter of his career.
Bizarre moment here as a protester sets his own arm on fire on the court. Lying on the ground now backstage just outside the media toilets after being apprehended by security. His white t-shirt was halfway up his chest so could only see the first three words: "End UK private..." twitter.com/dihelander/sta…
Roger Federer, the first man to win 20 Grand Slams, will therefore retire as only the male player with the third-most Majors in history, trailing behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the Slam race.
But the Swiss maestro showed no signs of regret in the last few days, remarking instead that he was simply happy to have the Laver Cup as his farewell tournament and spend his last days as a tennis professional alongside his wife and kids in London.
"It's clearly been very, very emotional. But good, I'm happy to be in London now and it's been wonderful to be surrounded by really close family, Mirka, kiddies, and everybody, and my team as well. I feel very happy that the message was so well received. And your messages have been incredible, really they have, and it means a lot to me."