French Open 2022 LIVE: Protestor ties themselves to net during Rudd vs Cilic match after shock Zverev injury
The French Open semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic was interrupted by a protestor who tied themselves to the net on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Midway through the third set of the match, the protestor, who was wearing a white t-shirt displaying the message, ‘We have 1028 days left’ jumped onto the court and attached herself to the net.
Security were slow to react to the situation and the players were taken off the court as the match was suspended. The individual was eventally removed from the net and after a delay of around 10 minutes, the players returned to the court. The organisation Dernière Rénovation claimed responsibility for the protest. In a post on Twitter, the group said a 22-year-old protestor called Alizée had entered the court “to draw attention to the climate emergency”.
Earlier, Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from his semi-final against Rafael Nadal after the German rolled his ankle and had to leave the court on a wheelchair. With the second set of the match heading for a tie-break after three pulsating hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev went over his right ankle and was left screaming in agony after what looked to be a horrendous injury.
The 25-year-old, who was aiming to win his first grand slam final in Paris and was close to levelling the match against Nadal, returned to the court on crutches to shake hands with his opponent and the umpire as he retired from the semi-final.
It means Nadal is through to his 14th French Open final, but his thoughts were with his opponent after the match. “Very tough, very sad for him,” Nadal said. “He was playing an unbelievable tournament. He’s a very good colleague on the tour. I know how much he wants to win a grand slam. But he’s not just going to win one, he’s going to win more than one. I wish him all the best in his recovery.”
Follow for live scores and updates from Roland Garros, below:
