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"A player is going to die and they are going to see him," Daniil Medvedev warned apocalyptic over the course of a game in his quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev. The heat that ravages New York, uncommon in such magnitude during the second week of the US Open, tests the endurance of the tennis players in conditions also very high humidity.
Somewhat overcome by circumstances, the tournament tries to implement emergency measures, contemplated in the regulations, such as partially closing the roof of the two main courts when the temperature exceeds 90º Fahrenheit, just over 32º Celsius. "It's part of the game," settles the Stacey Allaster affair, in words collected by The New York Times.
The US Open is no stranger to what has been happening in the other three Grand Slam tournaments. A recent Associated Press study on average temperatures in all majors over 35 years warns of a dangerous increase in recent years, with climate change as a catalyst. Although the study found that it is at the Australian Open where the temperature has risen most sharply, the US Open was detected as the hottest of the big four by almost three degrees Fahrenheit.
'Inhumane'
"I'm not sure what can be done. You can't stop the tournament for three or four days because it would be a ruin for ticket sales, televisions and everything. Play the best of three sets when these conditions are met? Some tennis players would not feel happy. I don't have real solutions, but it's better to talk a little bit about it before anything happens," Medvedev explains.
The forecast announces a drop in temperatures and rain in the last three days, but it is clear that the problem is here to stay. John McEnroe, a four-time champion of the tournament and now an ESPN commentator, called the heat "inhumane." "Please, in the future close the roof," he begged.
- tennis
- US Open
- Articles Javier Martínez