‘Eco-protester’ invades court at tennis final to tie herself to net before guards drag her away

‘Eco-protester’ invades court at ATP 500 men’s tennis final and tries to tie herself to net before two security guards drag her away

  • Apparent climate campaigner runs onto court at ATP 500 final in Halle, Germany
  • She tried to tie herself to the net before being grabbed and tackled by security
  • Laurel and Hardy-esque chase saw one bouncer fall twice as he pulled her away
  • It follows eco-protesters tying themselves to court at Roland Garros weeks ago

A court invader tried to tie themselves to the net at the ATP 500 Men’s Final in Halle, Germany this afternoon before being dragged away by security.

The unidentified woman – wearing a T-shirt reading ‘three years left’, an apparent reference to impending climate change – bounded onto the grass at the end of the first set.

She tried to attach herself to the net but two burly guards were able to stop her.

It follows a climate protester tying herself to the net at the Roland Garros men’s semi-final two weeks ago.

The unidentified woman, who appeared to be a climate campaigner, sprinted onto the court

That forced a 10-minute suspension of proceedings.

Though video from today showed the woman is small-framed, the guards did not have an easy time taking her away.

A Laurel and Hardy-esque operation saw one of the men fall twice in quick succession while pulling her towards the corner of the court.

As she was evicted – and a lengthy delay avoided – the crowd in east-central Germany began to applaud and cheer.

One guard grabbed her at the net just before she was able to tie herself, delaying play

One guard grabbed her at the net just before she was able to tie herself, delaying play

Another guard was needed to detain the woman - and did not have an easy time taking her off

Another guard was needed to detain the woman – and did not have an easy time taking her off

No environmental group has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for the protest. 

The woman’s T-shirt appeared to feature a web link to a German climate organisation.

Roland Garros saw a much more successful version of the court invasion, with a woman able to send the players into the changing rooms for 10 minutes after tying herself to the net.

In that case, four men were needed to escort her off the clay surface.

Her invasion of Court Phillipe-Chatrier during the third set was entirely unchallenged as she fastened herself to the net, casting doubt over the security at Roland Garros.

The woman's T-shirt appeared to have a climate slogan which read: 'Three years left'

The woman’s T-shirt appeared to have a climate slogan which read: ‘Three years left’

One of the two guards stumbled over a couple of times before taking the woman off the court

One of the two guards stumbled over a couple of times before taking the woman off the court

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo witnessed the players exit the court for 10 minutes while the woman was detached.

Back in March, Everton’s game against Newcastle was briefly halted for around seven minutes after a fan ran onto the pitch and attached himseld to a goalpost wearing a t-shirt saying ‘just stop oil’.

A Twitter account named Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for the stunt.

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz holds the winner's trophy after defeating his opponent in two sets

Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz holds the winner’s trophy after defeating his opponent in two sets

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev is pictured in action against Polish counterpart Hurkacz

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev is pictured in action against Polish counterpart Hurkacz

They wrote: ‘Today, a young supporter of Just Stop Oil ran onto the pitch during the Everton vs Newcastle game to draw attention to the group’s demand that the Government must end all new fossil fuel supply projects.

‘Louis, 21, locked on to the goalpost at Goodison Park wearing a Just Stop Oil t-shirt, causing the referee to briefly stop play.’

In the same month, a different male wearing a similar top attempted to attach himself to one of the posts during Arsenal’s clash against Liverpool at the Emirates.

On that occasion, the ground staff were able to prevent the incident from escalating.

The protestor walked on to the Roland Garros court with ease and fastened herself to the net

The protestor walked on to the Roland Garros court with ease and fastened herself to the net

A protester brought Everton's game against Newcastle to a halt after tying himself to a post

A protester brought Everton’s game against Newcastle to a halt after tying himself to a post

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