Protester interrupts Casper Ruud-Marin Cilic French Open semifinal
The men's semifinal stage of the 2022 French Open will unfortunately largely be remembered for reasons that have little to do with highlight-reel shots and back-and-forth action.
In Friday's first semifinal, Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev produced a spectacular show for those in attendance and fans watching at home until Zverev was forced to retire after he suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury during the match's second set.
Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic later met on Court Philippe-Chatrier but, per Dan Quarrell of Eurosport and Karolos Grohmann of Reuters, had their match interrupted in the third set when a protester shockingly tied herself to the net.
The woman was wearing a shirt sporting a message that read "we have 1028 days left" and used what appeared to be a string to attach herself to the net via her neck.
The meaning of the message wasn't immediately known, but Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post reports that a website allegedly on the protester's shirt cites her concern about "climate inaction."
Grohmann notes that play was delayed for 15 minutes with Ruud leading 3-6, 6-4, 4-1 before both players were taken off the court for their safety. Ruud quickly reclaimed his form when play resumed and went on to notch a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
"He's a perfect example of how you should behave on court: Never give up and never complain. He's been my idol for all my life," Ruud said of Nadal after his win, according to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I guess this is perfect timing and worth the wait to finally play him in a Grand Slam final."
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