Climate change protests continue to be the defining issue of our time, but doing it on a tennis court was a wrong move, according to USA's top-ranked ATP player Taylor Fritz.
Fritz's match against former British number one Andy Murray at the Citi Open was postponed on Thursday evening due to rain. As if the players haven't seen enough already and been through a chaotic day, there was a mid-match protest on Stadium Court when the two players were able to get their marquee clash underway on Friday.
The match was briefly halted for about five minutes or so as climate change protesters unfurled banners and tossed large tennis balls on the court while chanting loudly to generate attention for their cause. While they succeeded on that front, it was received negatively as a huge section of the fans booed them.
The security team on site was able to eject the group from the premises. Climate change protests during sporting events are becoming habitual, and while Fritz understands their motives, he questioned their timing and occasion.
"But my thoughts on it in general are, like, I get they're protesting, but, like, there's just got to be a better way to do it. Who's going to -- like, I don't understand how people are going to get behind a cause when you're ruining everyone else's good time. Like, it doesn't really make sense to me.'
"I said, as a joke, Oh, wow -- because it's annoying obviously when they do it. It's ruining everyone's time. Everyone wants to watch the tennis."
Fritz then jokingly mocked the climate change activists adding that due to their petulance, he would go against the grain and burn carbon emissions by flying even more.
"So I jokingly said, honestly, this makes me want to go fly on jets more (smiling). I think, you know, they're supporting a good cause, but the way they're doing it, like, who's going to want to listen when they're just annoying everybody."
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