The US Open could have been in full swing but the blistering heat isn’t allowing the games to go smoothly. Temperatures continue to soar and range around 38 degrees Celsius and conditions have been described as bad as being dangerous. In fact, several players so far have retired because of the humidity levels being above 50 percent and the sun refusing to show any mercy to the players playing in one of the four grand slams. In the first round, four out of eight matches ended up in retirements.
Players have been complaining about matches being played in the middle of the day, in fact, one of the French Players have described that players who retired are lucky that they didn’t see anything worse in terms of health.
The famous Djoker aka Novak Djokovic who had a win over Marton Fucsovics also said that he was struggling with heat while playing. He also added that it was sad to see players being affected by physical issues.
Six players retired from games on Tuesday, while five withdrawals including Italian qualifier Stefano Travaglia, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, and Serb Filip Krajinovic have withdrawn due to heat related issues. In fact, Youzhny was playing his last grand slam and unfortunately had to end his tournament on a heat related note.
Moreover, the women's WTA has a heat policy for its players, unlike the men's ATP. However, the ruling has been introduced for men as well. The ruling offers a 10-minute break to both players after the third set and can be taken if either or both want it.
Now, weather conditions are going to become slightly better today with temperatures settling around 30-31 degrees Celsius. Conditions will become even better on August when temperatures will drop down to the late 20s. In fact, there is possibility of thunderstorms and rains on August 31.
Image Credit: Indian Express
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