Djokovic and the naked truth
His cheeks red, hair matted with sweat, Novak Djokovic appeared to be in such distress as he trudged to a changeover on a steamy US Open afternoon that someone suggested it would be a good idea to have a trash can at the ready, just in case he lost his lunch.
The tennis star sat down and removed his shirt. He guzzled water from a plastic bottle. He placed one cold towel around his neck, a second across his lap and a third between his bare upper back and the seat.
He was not even two hours into his first match at Flushing Meadows in two years, and while Djokovic eventually would get past Marton Fucsovics 6-3 3-6 6-4
6-0, it was a bit of an ordeal. ‘‘Survival mode,’’ Djokovic called it.
Djokovic and Fucsovics took a
10-minute break after the third set to help them cope with the 30 degrees Celsius heat. Not allowed to speak with coaches, the pair instead spent the downtime sideby-side, ‘‘naked in the ice baths’’.
‘‘It was quite a magnificent feeling, I must say,’’ Djokovic told news media afterwards.
With the temperature topping
33C and the humidity approaching 50 per cent – and that combination making it feel more like 40C – nearly everything became a struggle for every player across the grounds on day two of the US Open, so much so that no fewer than five quit their matches, with three citing cramps or heat exhaustion.
About two hours into the day’s schedule, the US Tennis Association decided to do something it never had at this tournament: offer men the chance to take a
10-minute break before the fourth set if a match went that far. That is similar to the existing rule for women, which allows for 10 minutes of rest before a third set when there is excessive heat.
‘‘At the end of the day, the ATP or a lot of the supervisors, they’re kind of sitting in their offices, where [there’s] an AC system on, where it’s cool. And we have to be out there. They tell us it’s fine; they’re not the ones playing,’’ said No 4 seed Alexander Zverev. How bad was it? ‘‘Bloody hot,’’ said two-time major semifinalist Johanna Konta, who lost 6-2 6-2 to No 6 Caroline Garcia.
‘‘Brutal,’’ said 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, who advanced when his opponent retired in the third set.
‘‘Really not easy,’’ said threetime Grand Slam title winner Angelique Kerber, who defeated Margarita Gasparyan 7-6 (5) 6-3.
Djokovic is a popular pick to hoist the trophy again, coming off a Wimbledon title in July and a victory over Roger Federer in the final of the Cincinnati Masters in August. Federer was among those lucky enough to play a night match yesterday, beating Yoshihito Nishioka, of Japan, in straight sets.