Austin American-Statesman

Djokovic turns to ‘survival mode’ to win on steamy day

- By Howard Fendrich

His cheeks red, hair matted with sweat, Novak Djokovic appeared to be in such distress as he trudged to a changeover on a steamy U.S. 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.

Djokovic 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 1½ 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 Tuesday, it was a bit of an ordeal. “Survival mode,” Djokovic called it.

With the temperatur­e topping 95 degrees and the humidity approachin­g 50 percent — and that combinatio­n making it feel more like 105 degrees — nearly everything became a struggle for every player across the grounds on Day 2 of the U.S. Open, so much so that no fewer than five quit their matches, with three citing cramps or heat exhaustion.

About 2 hours into the day, the U.S. 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. The whole thing raised several questions: Should the genders have the same rules moving forward? Should the U.S. Open avoid having matches during the hottest part of the day, not just for the players’ sake but also to help spectators?

“The ATP or a lot of the supervisor­s, they’re kind of sitting in their offices, where (there’s) an A.C. 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, who won in straight sets in the early evening, when it was far less harsh. “For sure, the rule should be more strict. There should be a certain temperatur­e, certain conditions where we shouldn’t be playing.”

“Bloody hot,” said twotime major semifinali­st Johanna Konta, who lost 6-2, 6-2 to No. 6 Caroline Garcia. “Brutal,” said 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who advanced when his opponent retired in the third set. “Really not easy,” said three-time Grand Slam title winner Angelique Kerber, who defeated Margarita Gasparyan 7-6 (5), 6-3.

“It’s awful out there,” said Tennys Sandgren, an American who won in straight sets and will face Djokovic in the second round.

Roger Federer was among those lucky enough to play a night match Tuesday, facing Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan.

In other results, Johanna Konta fell 6-2, 6-2 to No. 6 seed Caroline Garcia; American CoCo Vandeweghe double-faulted 12 times and lost to Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (3); and Caroline Wozniacki beat 2011 titlist Sam Stosur 6-3, 6-2.

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