Umbrellas up for a different reason

LONDON — Although the players are coping just fine with the heat at Wimbledon, everybody else is not as much.

A heatwave that has endured for weeks in London soared above 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, and fans and staff at the All England Club struggled in the uncommon conditions.

The weather meant vendors selling hats, fans and sweatbands were particularly busy, especially the ones working at the base of Aorangi Terrace — also known as Henman Hill or Murray Mound.

“Today’s been the hottest day by a mile,” vendor Camilla Ferguson said. “Today might be our record (for sales).”

Another item was very popular — large umbrellas were visible all over the sun-baked hill.

Delene Roode, a South African tourist, purchased one upon her arrival at the club in the morning, with the heat having taken her by surprise.

“I wish it had little sprinklers on, but I’m happy,” she said.

The heat delayed Juan Martin del Potro’s third-round match against Benoit Paire on Court 2 for several minutes when a female spectator had to be taken by wheelchair to a medical center for treatment.

“We’re trying just to be focused on our game,” del Potro said of the interruption. “We prefer this kind of weather than the rain. We are in good shape to be out there and play good matches.”

Ball boys and girls are on reduced schedules.

“We have done 45-minute shifts instead of one hour,” said Sarah Goldson, ball boys and girls manager. “And we’ll rotate slightly more often.”

If queues weren’t long enough already, the heat added another obstacle.

“The sun creeps into our kiosk and it makes the tills stop working,” Ferguson said.

Only three years ago, the heat peaked at 35.7 Celsius (96 F). With more hot weather forecast, the club might want to use its middle Sunday — when no play is scheduled — to erect some canopies.