Given the sweltering heat at the US Open, Daniil Medvedev has sparked a debate in tennis about how to deal with these difficult conditions.
During the quarter-final win over his Russian compatriot Andrei Rublev, the former winner said to a camera in 34 degrees and high humidity: “A player will die and you will see it.”
After the game, Medvedev reported that he no longer had any skin on his nose and several areas of his face because he dried himself with a towel so often. After the three-set win, he was initially unable to see properly. “We don’t want something to happen and then say: ‘Oh my God, Medvedev said that a few years ago,'” said the 27-year-old.
“I don’t know what we can do”
At the same time, however, Medvedev admitted that he could not come up with a solution. “Thing is, I don’t know what we can do.” Stopping the tournament for a few days during the heatwave would “ruin everything”. “Could we only play three more sets in these conditions? Some guys wouldn’t be happy with that,” he said. In Grand Slam tournaments, up to five sets are played in men’s singles.
Even only playing in the evenings is not an option because it is hot and humid in New York in September. “I don’t have any real solutions, but it’s still better to talk about it before anything happens,” Medvedev said.
Rublev: “I don’t think about my health”
The third in the world rankings was treated during the game, given an inhalation spray and complained of breathing problems. His opponent didn’t want to blame the weather for the defeat. “I don’t think about my health. In those moments I only think that I have to fight,” said Rublev. Due to a new rule, Arthur Ashe Stadium’s roof was partially closed to provide additional sun protection.
“I found it brutal. It was very, very, very hot in the first set. It was like being in the sauna,” reported Laura Siegemund after her doubles game, in which she reached the semifinals with Russian Vera Swonarewa at lunchtime at Louis Armstrong Stadium had moved in. At times she even had problems with the bat: “It was so humid that I couldn’t hold the blade.”