Someone will die before US Open change rules on heat
Warning as suffering players are forced to retire in searing temperatures
TENNIS chiefs were last night warned they will have blood on their hands after players called for a halt to US Open matches being played in scorching heat.
Five players were forced to retire at a furnace-like Flushing Meadows on Tuesday as they failed to cope with melting conditions.
Referee Brian Earley announced the first extreme heat policy in the tournament’s 50-year history with stars allowed a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets if at least one player asks for it.
But while the women’s WTA introduced an excessive heat policy in their rule book in 1992 there is nothing concrete on the ATP tour.
And Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis hit out after he retired due to “heat illness” in the fourth set of his tie against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung.
Berankis, 28, said: “The ATP doesn’t have a heat rule but they should stop the matches. They will not make a change until someone dies.
“We are fit but this was too much. It is dangerous out there. They should have cancelled the matches. It was not healthy.”
Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Serbian Filip Krajinovic all joined Berankis in citing the heat for retiring.
Mayer, who was 4-6 4-6 6-4 2-1 down to Serbia’s Laslo Djere when he quit, said: “I had heat stroke. I was not going to die on the court, tennis is not for that.
“In the locker room I saw several people lying there, just like me, it’s very hard. I could not do it anymore.”
Despite playing in the cooler evening session, Nick Kyrgios also claimed they were being asked to play in dangerous temperatures. After the Aussie’s 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-2 win against Moldovan Radu Albot he said: “We should have a heat rule, it’s not healthy to be out there getting dizzy – and the poor ball kids.
“There should definitely be a heat rule looked at and put into place. Heat can become dangerous at times. I don’t think we had a rule and we made one up today. That’s just ridiculous.” Fans have also struggled in the boiling Big Apple as temperatures soared again yesterday. US Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said: “The ATP has a rather broad heat policy that relies a lot on discretion. The WTA’s policy is more exact and more of a codified policy. “Extreme heat rules kicks in for women under the WTA guidelines but this is the first time in US Open history we have done an extreme heat policy for men. I don’t believe we will have a concrete, written policy on extreme heat for men until after this US Open.
“Certainly the fans are always at the forefront. We do try to provide messaging on-site to remind for hydration, sunblock, seeking shade.”
Caroline Wozniacki had a more lighthearted view.
After her 6-3 6-2 win over Samantha Stosur the Dane – who plays Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in the second round today – said: “I’m just thinking I’m on the beach, I have a margarita in hand, life is good.”
Novak Djokovic joked how he sat in an ice bath next to naked rival Marton Fucsovics during their break as the Serb had to dig to deep to
win. German Andrea Petkovic went to an air-conditioned room during a break in the tie she lost to Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.
But Petkovic said: “When I came back out, it felt like five billion degrees. Next time I would stay out there, chill on the bench.”
In a bizarre episode France’s Alize Cornet was given a warning for taking her top off.
Having gone off court to change she realised she had her top on back to front and quickly changed it but was called for a code violation.
But the USTA yesterday released a statement insisting all players can now change their shirts on court.
It added: “We regret that a code violation was assessed to Ms Cornet.”