Alexander Zverev shared his surprise at the delayed response of security staff during a pro-Palestine incident at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open 2024, underscoring the importance of spectators refraining from taking matters into their own hands on the court.
The incident unfolded during Zverev’s Australian Open round-of-16 match against Cameron Norrie when a pro-Palestine protestor, wearing a face mask, threw sheets of paper onto the Margaret Court Arena. The messages on the papers included “Free Palestine” and “While you’re watching tennis bombs are dropping on Gaza.”
While the protestor was promptly halted, it wasn’t by the security team. Instead, a spectator intervened, wrestling with the protestor, and another joined in to assist in removing her. Despite the delay, security eventually escorted the protestor, and the match resumed after the ball kids cleared the paper.
Following his 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) victory over Norrie, Zverev expressed his astonishment at the security’s sluggish response, stating, “When something like this happens, it shouldn’t be another fan dragging the other person out. It should be the security guys that should be there quite quickly. It shouldn’t take them three, four minutes, that long.” This incident shed light on the imperative need for swift and efficient security measures during high-profile tennis events.
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