The Russian tennis player was the latest to complain about the heat and humidity affecting the US Open, having even used an asthma pump during a match. The organization has decided to open the coverage of the field.
The intense heat accompanied by high levels of humidity is a constant at the US Open. Since 1988, the North American Grand Slam has been responsible for more than half of the 17 occasions in which at least 10 players withdrew due to high temperatures. In 1997, when thermometers rose to 54 degrees, athletes feared that their shoes would melt. And nothing seems to change.
In an edition of the US Open that has been particularly affected by health problems —several tennis players have been coughing, sneezing, fever and vomiting, in a phenomenon that has been associated with the new wave of Covid-19 in the United States—, Daniil Medvedev was the last to complain about the heat. The Russian beat his compatriot Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, qualifying for the semifinals of the competition, but he did not fail to underline the difficulties he had felt.
Daniil Medvedev on the conditions of his match against Andrey Rublev:
“A player is going to die. And they will see it.” pic.twitter.com/zQhXWmdGQU
– The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2023
“One day someone will die. And then they will see”, shot the tennis player, who used an apparent asthma pump during several stops of the quarterfinal match. “The thing is, I don’t think it worked, because I don’t know how to use it. I really have trouble breathing. I’m not even making jokes like two or three days ago. I will continue to use the pump,” Medvedev added.
The obstacles caused by the heat wave affecting New York were also highlighted by Taylor Fritz, an American who was eliminated on Tuesday by Novak Djokovic. “The heat never bothers me much, but here… I think it’s the humidity, it’s so humid that we’re exhausted,” explained number 9 of the classification ATP. Ben Shelton, the young American who beat Frances Tiafoe and reached the semifinals, also highlighted the difficulty of the weather conditions: he comes from Florida, where heat and humidity are common.
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“There was Frances Tiafoe on the other side of the court and this heat It is very hot and very humid. For most of the game, both he and I were completely exhausted, trying to catch our breath,” said Shelton, who played with some kind of portable air conditioner strapped to his torso under his jersey. Other tennis players have resorted to ice towels during breaks.
As is a common problem, heat and humidity have already been the subject of several editions of the US Open; Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, in several years, complained about the lack of air circulation in the Arthur Ashe stadium during matches. The North American organization of the Grand Slam has decided to partially open the coverage of the court main on warmer days, let air in, but the truth is that the decision is not consensual either and many tennis players have said that they cannot see the ball under sunlight. “Source of court it was in the shade and the other half in the sun. There were balls that she did not even see, they seemed to fly, ”said Jelena Ostapenko, eliminated by Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
Source: Observadora
