“One more will die”: tennis stars groan under New York’s monstrous heat

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Heat alarm in Flushing Meadows: At the US Open in New York (US), the tennis stars are affected by the temperatures. Daniil Medvedev (27) puts it most clearly. “One more player will die,” he muttered to the TV camera during the third set of the quarterfinals against his Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev.

In fact, the heat in and around Arthur Ashe Stadium is intense. According to CNN, it was 34 degrees Celsius on the track on Wednesday, with a humidity of around 70 percent, conditions are also demanding on the floor of the concrete boiler on the hard court. During the quarterfinals between Coco Gauff and Jelena Ostapenko, the so-called “wet bulb temperature” (WBGT), a value created by the combination of temperature, average radiant temperature and cool limit temperature, rose to 92 degrees Fahrenheit (about 25 degrees Celsius). 33.3 degrees Celsius). This is such a high value that the medical specialist portal “MSD Manual” only says: “Avoid activities and sun exposure.” That is of course quite difficult in a tennis game.

Ten minutes break and a closed roof

“It’s part of the sport,” says tournament director Stacey Allaster (60) about the heat. Still, there are precautions. Once the WBGT rises above 86 degrees Fahrenheit, there is a 10-minute break after the third set for the men (after the second set for the women). From 90 degrees, the roofs in Arthur Ashe Stadium and in the Louis Armstrong Arena are closed.

But even that only helps to a limited extent. According to the “New York Times,” the two stadiums are not sealed even with the roof closed and are therefore not air-conditioned. Normally that’s not a problem either, as the wind blowing in from nearby Flushing Bay cools the air on the facility. The problem: it hasn’t been windy the past few days.

The storm is finally coming

Medvedev also knows that it is not easy for the organizers. “I don’t know what we can do,” he says after reaching the semifinals, where he will meet defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (20). “We probably can’t interrupt the tournament for four days. Can we only play three sets (instead of five winning sets, ed.) If the circumstances are like this? Some would not be happy about that.”

However, the situation could soon improve. Thunderstorms are expected in New York on Friday, after which it should cool slightly.

Source : Blick