The semifinal of the U.S. Open was disrupted Thursday after a group of climate protesters stood up and one glued his feet to the floor.
Coco Gauff was leading Karolina Muchova 1-0 when the protesters threw the Arthur Ashe Stadium into disarray, according to a report.
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"I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in. And it was done in a peaceful way, so I can't get too mad at it. Obviously I don't want it to happen when I'm winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going,” Gauff, 19, said.
"But hey, if that's what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can't really get upset at it."
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Security personnel and police officers removed the protesters who wore shirts reading, "End Fossil Fuels."
Three of them were taken out of the New York City stadium with relative ease. However, it took a greater effort to remove a male protester who had glued his feet to the concrete floor, according to the U.S. Tennis Association.
After medical personnel assisted authorities in removing the man, all four protesters were placed in custody, the report noted.
The U.S. Open partners with corporations that contribute to global warming, one protester, identified as Ian, said.
"We are not trying to harm the athletes in any way. We have nothing against the sport," he said. "But we are really trying to draw attention to an issue here that there will be no tennis left for anybody in the world to enjoy."
The disruption lasted for around 50 minutes, during which Gauff ate fruit and Muchova was visited by a trainer, according to the report.
"We didn't know how long it was going to take. We were talking to the supervisor and security. You know, they (said) it could be as quick as five minutes or as long as an hour," Gauff said. "It was tough to figure out if we stay warm or conserve energy."
"I just wanted to get off the court and then keep myself little warmed up and not just to stand there," Muchova said.
Gauff would go on to defeat Muchova.
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"Throughout history, moments like this are definitely defining moments. I believe, you know, in climate change. I don't really know exactly what ... they were protesting. I know it was about the environment. I 100% believe in that. I think there are things we can do better," Gauff said following the match.
"Would I prefer it not happening in my match? One hundred percent, yeah," she said. "I'm not going to sit here and lie."