Daniil Medvedev vocalized his concerns over playing tennis in high temperatures with high humidityGetty Images
The U.S. Open continues today with the semifinal round of the women's singles tournament amid sweltering weather conditions in Queens with temperatures expected to hit 94 degrees (SBJ). In D.C., Ava Wallace noted temperatures “reached 94 degrees with humidity above 50 percent” during yesterday’s men's and women's quarterfinals with the “heavy air leaving players drenched in sweat at best.” Daniil Medvedev put his “displeasure with the conditions in no uncertain terms.” Medvedev, looking directly into a television camera mid-match, said, "One player [is] going to die one day, and they’re going to see." Wallace noted the temperature “lowered to a balmy 87 degrees by the time” the Madison Keys-Marketa Vondrousova match began (WASHINGTON POST, 9/6).
HEAT CHECK: Medvedev said yesterday, “The only thing that is a little bit, let’s call it dangerous, is that the question is: How far could we go?” He added, “I’m not sure what can we do. Because probably we cannot stop the tournament for four days -- because it’s been, what, three, four days it’s been brutal like this? -- because then it basically ruins everything: the TV, even the tickets, everything." The AP’s Howard Fendrich noted it is “feeling hotter and hotter at Grand Slam tournaments in recent decades” and the U.S. Open’s second week is “pushing players to the limit.” Players are “using ice” and “courtside tubes blowing cold air to try to stay cool.” Medvedev wore a “white towel around his neck during the on-court interview.” Under a new rule adopted on Tuesday for the rest of the event, the USTA “partially closed the retractable Ashe roof -- normally used to block out rain -- to provide some additional protection from the sun for spectators and competitors” (AP, 9/6).
