AN ENVIRONMENTAL protester briefly halted play at the French Open — by attaching herself to the NET.
The second men’s singles semi-final between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud was temporarily stopped after two hours of play and with the Norwegian leading 4-1 in the third set.
The protester tied herself to the net
The match was briefly suspended
They lifted her out of the court
A lone woman evaded security and ran onto the red clay court where she swiftly hooked a brace to the corner of the net that was connected to her own necklace.
The pony-tailed woman was wearing denim jeans and a white t-shirt which said: ‘We have 1,028 days left.’
Former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo, who has had a difficult few days as a rookie tournament director, watched on from the sidelines as security staff cut the strap and removed her from Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Both players had to leave the playing arena for about 5-10 minutes.
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The crowd started to whistle and jeer when it happened but security were very slow to respond to the interruption.
Four security staff carried her off court horizontally, lifting her up by her ankles and shoulders.
There was a similar security breach during the 2022 Australian Open Final which Rafa Nadal won as he beat Danill Medvedev in an epic five-setter.
In the ninth game of the second set, with Nadal leading 5-3 and aiming for parity, a protester ran on the court carrying a sign saying ‘ABOLISH REFUGEES DETENTION’.
Yet he was swiftly tackled and dragged away by quick-reacting guards on the Rod Laver Arena.
It was a bizarre moment in what has been a long day in Paris with the first semi-final overshadowed by the abrupt retirement of Alex Zverev when he suffered significant ankle damage.
The star turned his ankle and screamed out in pain.
He was forced to leave the court in a wheelchair – although did return on crutches to say goodbye to the crowd and officially retire.
Actress Sienna Miller was one of those in the crowd who applauded him off.
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The protest incident brought back memories of people tying themselves to goal posts in Premier League games.
Among them was a man who tied himself to a goal post at Goodison Park during Everton’s match with Newcastle in March.
