High temperatures stunned the third day of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, causing some blackouts Wednesday in New York, which officials placed under a heat alert.
The sweltering heat grips spectators as they exit the air-conditioned subway cars. Fans are handed out on the old wooden-slatted bridge that connects the Mets-Willets Point station to Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, where tennis players are sparring under a blazing sun.
A heat wave hit the eastern United States on Wednesday, with 60 million people under high temperature alerts, as was the case in New York, which saw temperatures climb to 34°C in the shade, before a drop in temperatures was forecast for Thursday.
Despite the conditions, there is no rest for the participants in the US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season, where the conditions are harsh day and night, particularly because of the humidity which hinders the evaporation of perspiration, the body’s cooling system.
The tournament organizers have activated their extreme heat protocol, which simply provides for a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets for men, and the second and third for women, if one of the participants requests it.
” Dangerous “
As spectators cool off in front of giant misters, some players are visibly suffering from the conditions, such as the exhausted Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko, who retired at the start of the 3e set of his match played at midday against the American Frances Tiafoe, at 2e round of the competition.
“I try to prepare for it, but I was sweating a lot. Today (Wednesday) was crazy. I bring as many clothes as possible, I had 20 t-shirts, and a few pairs of shoes,” smiled the American.
Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry was seen vomiting on court before winning his face-off with his compatriot Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, after more than four hours of play.
“The conditions were really difficult. It was 38 degrees and you have to add 4 degrees on the court. You have to hydrate yourself properly, by drinking a lot and taking mineral salts. I took too much, that’s why I threw up,” he explained.
“It’s dangerous for the players and for the public,” he added.
“More energy”
Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who was ill during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, lasted 45 minutes before suffering a drop in form and losing to Argentinian Francisco Comesana 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
“These are really extreme conditions, I had the impression that it was 40°C on the court and then with the humidity you feel that you are losing a lot of water, and then you have the heat hitting you, you have the impression that you no longer have any energy quite quickly.”
“As I was not well, I had a stomach ache, I did not eat anything, after 30 minutes I felt like I had played for three hours.”
German Alexander Zverev, 4e The world champion, who qualified against Frenchman Alexandre Müller 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, also spoke of profuse sweating, “the court was drowning in it,” he said.
His recipe for dealing with these conditions? “I try to stay outside as much as possible. I avoid air-conditioned places, I try not to stay in rooms that are much colder than where we play.”
In 2018, the tournament triggered its heat protocol for several days in a row and saw a number of withdrawals.