The Australian Open protester was quickly apprehended by security staff and the police
(Picture: Getty Images)Play was temporarily halted during the men’s Australian Open final on Sunday after a protester invaded Rod Laver Arena.
During a topsy-turvy second set in Melbourne, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev were quickly guarded by security staff after a protester appeared to jump from their seat in the stands and land in front of the commentary box, just metres from the playing surface.
The person in question was holding a banner that read “Abolish refugee detention” and was quickly apprehended and removed from court by security personnel and the police before the match continued, with Nadal then falling two sets down as his hopes of overtaking ‘Big Three’ rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with a record 21st Grand Slam singles title diminished further.
In 2015, the men’s final between Andy Murray and Djokovic was also disrupted by a protester yielding a banner that demanded the closure of the Manus Island immigration detention centre.
On Saturday, Ash Barty became the first home winner of the Australian Open for 44 years after overturning a 5-1 second-set deficit to win 6-3 7-6 against American Danielle Collins in the women’s showpiece.
