Coco Gauff’s US Open semifinal victory over Karolina Muchova was delayed by 50 minutes due to a disruption caused by four environmental activists in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands on Thursday night. According to the Associated Press, one protester glued his bare feet to the concrete floor. Despite the delay, Gauff managed to win the match with a score of 6-4, 7-5. Reflecting on the incident, Gauff, a 19-year-old tennis player from Florida, expressed understanding towards the protesters, stating, “But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.” The protesters, wearing shirts that read “End Fossil Fuels,” were confronted by security guards and police officers. The US Tennis Association reported that three of the protesters were escorted out of the stadium, but it took longer to remove the person who stuck their feet to the ground. All four activists were eventually taken into police custody. The group responsible for the protest, Extinction Rebellion, claimed that their action was aimed at drawing attention to the US Open’s sponsorship deals with corporations contributing to global warming.
The US Tennis Association stated that the three protesters were safely escorted out of the stadium, although it took longer to remove the person who had glued their feet to the ground. Medical personnel and NYPD assistance was required for the safe removal of the individual. The Extinction Rebellion, a group responsible for the protest, explained that their motive was not to harm the athletes but to raise awareness about sponsorship deals between the US Open and corporations contributing to global warming. Ian, one of the protesters, told the Associated Press, “We are not trying to harm the athletes in any way. We have nothing against the sport. But we are really trying to draw attention to an issue here that there will be no tennis left for anybody in the world to enjoy.”
This incident is just one among several recent protests at sporting events, particularly within the realm of tennis, that center around the use of fossil fuels. At Wimbledon in July, two matches were interrupted when environmental activists jumped out of the stands at Court 18 and scattered orange confetti on the grass. In a US Open tune-up tournament in Washington last month, approximately twelve individuals were asked to leave the site after chanting and displaying signs protesting the use of fossil fuels. Karolina Muchova, a 27-year-old tennis player from the Czech Republic, commented on the situation, saying, “It is what it is. … What can we do about it?” Following Gauff’s victory, the semifinal match between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the US began. The match concluded close to 1am, with Sabalenka winning 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) to secure her second Grand Slam final appearance.
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