Messages within matches: Climate activists disrupt the Italian Open

On Monday 13 May, two tennis matches were interrupted at the Italian Open in Rome by climate activists from Ultima Generazione (Last Generation).

The women’s round of 16 between Madison Keys and Sorana Cîrstea was halted when protesters threw confetti and glued themselves to the stands. Keys, who eventually won the match 6-2 6-1 after a 30-minute interval when security cleared out the activists, expressed safety concerns and called for better measures to prevent such disruptions. “It’s obviously something that’s becoming more of an occurrence and something that tournaments are going to have to figure out how to stop.”

Simultaneously, the men’s doubles match between Santiago Gonzalez/Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic was also interrupted by activists glueing themselves to the stands.

Through a video posted on social media, Ultima Generazione linked their actions to the ongoing drought and water scarcity issues in Italy. “We don’t have any water, and you use the water to irrigate the court.”

In recent years, climate activists have increasingly targeted sports to gain visibility and raise society’s awareness of the enormous consequences of climate change

According to the Italian Open organisers, the activist group, which had also disturbed the Rome Marathon in March, was in the capital to discuss a few proposals, including an appeal for a reparations fund of 20 billion euros for climate disasters.

In recent years, climate activists have increasingly targeted sports to gain visibility and raise society’s awareness of the enormous consequences of climate change. As governments seem to freeze in the face of the escalating climate problem, civil disobedience, as defined by the American philosopher John Rawls as “a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government” is trying to get those in power to take action.

“What we’re attempting to do is force the issue to the forefront of public consciousness, and up the media agenda […] If you haven’t got millions of eyeballs, you’re not in the ballpark of achieving significant societal change,” said James Skeet, 35, a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil.

Some notable climate protests in sports include disruptions at English Premier League matches, the World Snooker Championship, the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the Tour de France.

Tennis matches require silence, meaning any disruption has an immediate and noticeable impact

The combination of lower security and the ease of accessing the courts makes tennis the ideal sport for climate activists to get across their message. Additionally, tennis matches require silence, meaning any disruption has an immediate and noticeable impact.

Tennis also attracts elite sponsors and celebrities, which amplifies the protest’s visibility and impact. High-profile figures like Swedish activist Greta Thunberg have pressured Swiss legend Roger Federer to cut ties with fossil fuel sponsors such as Credit Suisse. The presence of influential individuals at such events provides a significant platform for activists to advocate for environmental change.

Viktoria Spaiser, associate professor in sustainability research at the University of Leeds, said: “Successful social movements typically have powerful or famous and respected allies outside the movement, who can extend the reach and influence of a movement to a wider public, reinforcing the message the movement is trying to get across, and giving legitimacy to the movement, its demands and its actions.”

As tennis players face more severe conditions, such as the suffocating heat that prompted Russian player and world number five, Daniil Medvedev, to warn that “a player is going to die” at the 2023 US Open, the need of climate action becomes clearer both for the planet and for all the sports that may one day become impracticable.