WATCH: Play stopped at Laver Cup as invader sets himself on fire
ATP
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman are battling it out on the court of O2 Arena in London for the second point of the 2022 Laver Cup, but the match had to be stopped.
After Casper Ruud defeated Jack Sock in the first match of the 2022 Laver Cup, Stefanos Tsitsipas met Diego Schwartzman. The young Greek dominated the first set against his opponent when he managed to get two breaks while not allowing the Argentinian to have any breakpoints, and so he won the first set 6-2.
When the second set was about to start, a court invader jumped onto the court and tried to put the tennis court, or at least its part, on fire. However, while attempting to do so, the person burned themselves, setting their own arm on fire.
Yet, the whole episode didn't last for too long. Three security guards promptly rushed toward the person, putting out the fire and then lifting the person and escorting them off the court.
Most likely, the protest was tied to the environment, as we've seen multiple similar protests over the past few months. Yet, that has to be confirmed as no organization has claimed the protest so far.
While fans in the O2 Arena thought that the play would be interrupted only for a few moments, they were wrong because the break had to be prolonged. That was because a liquid was spilled on the court by an invader and so it had to be wiped before the play could continue again.
The incident didn't cause any harm to anyone, but it certainly served as another important reminder of how important on-court security is, as both players were very vulnerable on the court.
If the person had different intentions than setting the court or themselves on fire, it could have resulted in a very bad incident.
