The Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev was interrupted at a crucial moment of the second set when a protester launched themselves onto the court.
In an extraordinary gesture, the intruder jumped down from the stands all the way onto the court – a drop of around three metres – before falling to the floor. The person was holding a banner with the message ‘abolish refugee detention’ in apparent reference to the hotels and conditions in which refugees are placed after they enter Australia.
Novak Djokovic was himself placed in a hotel which is being used by asylum seekers while the saga about his Visa status unfolded earlier in the month. This, in turn, placed a spotlight on the refugees who were staying in the same accommodation, of whom some have been waiting many years to be moved out of detention and resettled.
The protester, who was wearing a disposable face mask, black shorts and cap, landed on the Rod Laver Arena while Nadal was serving at break-point down in the ninth game of the second set.
The players were forced to stop, with the intruder then dragged along the floor and out of the venue by a combination of police and stadium security.
“The person was holding a banner, but jumped off the ledge onto the court before anyone near me had a chance to see what it said,” said Ben Rothenberg, the editor of Racquet Magazine. “Protesters during men’s finals are fairly common, but usually they don’t plummet without a plan like that.” The 2015 Australian Open final was also interrupted by a similar message.
The interruption did not appear to affect the match, with Nadal eventually surviving the break point and holding serve before losing what was a marathon second set in the tie-break.
Nadal, who will turn 36 in June, was attempting to become the most prolific men’s Grand Slam winner in tennis history. He was tied on 20 going into the final with his long-time rivals, Djokoivic and Roger Federer.