Protester sets arm on fire on court ahead of Federer's farewell tennis match

Protester sets arm on fire on court ahead of Federer’s farewell tennis match

A protester appeared to accidentally set fire to his arm on court at London’s O2 ahead of Roger Federer’s farewell from tennis later this evening.

The incident happened during the opening session match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman on the first day of this year’s Laver Cup.

Tsitsipas clinched the first set 6-2 and during the changeover, a man ran on to the court and lit a fire, which briefly set his arm ablaze.

The individual was wearing a T-shirt which read “End UK Private Jets” and was quickly dragged out of the court after the fire had been extinguished.

After a brief delay, the match, the second of the day, was able to resume.

Later tonight, Swiss star Federer, 41, will play for the final time before retiring from tennis.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion will team up with old rival Rafa Nadal for a match against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.

Federer announced his retirement last week after being faced with challenges in the form of “injuries and surgeries” and said he will stop playing competitively after the Laver Cup.

Ahead of tonight’s match, the tennis star teased fans and wrote on Twitter: “About to hit the practice courts one last time with @RafaelNadal. might do an IG Live on the way..”

Federer, whose trophy haul includes eight Wimbledon titles, created the tournament with his agent to honour his idol, Rod Laver.

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