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Protester sets himself on FIRE in shocking incident the Laver Cup in London

Protester sets himself on FIRE in shocking incident the Laver Cup in London

The alarming incident occurred during Friday's play at the O2 Arena.

A protester interrupted a match at the Laver Cup on Friday by setting himself on fire in the centre of the court.

The alarming incident occurred during Stefanos Tsitsipas' match against Diego Schwartzman at the O2 Arena in London.

The protester calmly walked onto the court and sat down before using a lighter to set his arm on fire.

A man set his arm on fire at the Laver Cup on Friday (Image: Alamy)
A man set his arm on fire at the Laver Cup on Friday (Image: Alamy)

He immediately screamed in agony as his arm was quickly covered in flames.

Luckily, he managed to stop the fire spreading across his body and was able to put out the fire on his arm.

Security staff quickly scrambled to remove from the man from the court and to fully extinguish the blaze, which had set fire to the playing surface.

The protester was dragged from the playing area by three security officials, to jeers from the crowd.

It is believed the man, who wearing a t-shirt with the statement "End UK private jets", was a climate change activist.

Tsitsipas was seen in conversation with the umpire as attendants poured water onto the affected area of the court.

The match later resumed, with Tsitsipas winning 6-2, 6-1.

Friday was the opening day of the Laver Cup, which runs at the O2 Arena until Sunday.

The man was quickly removed from the court by security officials (Image: Alamy)
The man was quickly removed from the court by security officials (Image: Alamy)

The tournament sees Team Europe take on Team World over three days and will be Roger Federer's last ATP event.

The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion announced earlier this month that he would be retiring from top level tennis after this weekend's event in London.

Federer will team up with rival Rafael Nadal on Friday night to take on American duo Francis Tiafoe and Jack Sock in a men's doubles match.

SPORTbible Stories is the brand-new podcast from the SPORT team at LADbible. The latest episode features a chat with WWE legend Triple H who opens up on his long in-ring career, his rivalry with The Rock during WWE's Attitude Era and Logan Paul's fledgling wrestling career. You can watch the episode here.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy & Twitter:SamStreetWrites

Topics: Tennis