Women allowed heat breaks at scorching Wimbledon, men not
Temperatures are soaring at Wimbledon, reaching 86 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. That’s 86 throughout the grounds – it’s even hotter at Centre Court, where the thermometer measured more than 100 degrees during Andy Murray’s afternoon win.
Players, at least those in the women’s and girls’ draws, will have a chance to escape the heat. Tournament rules allow for females to take a 10-minute heat break between the second and third sets if the heat is too intense.
The men, however, are not permitted to take any heat-related breaks.
According to The Guardian, once the temperature passes about 86.5 degrees Fahrenheit, officials measure the “heat stress index” prior to each match. The index includes humidity, surface temperature, and air temperature. If the threshold is crossed prior to the match, either player (in a women’s and girl’s match) can request the break. The rule has never been utilized.
There is a roof at Centre Court, but it will not be used to shade the court. It can be used to shade the fans, but players are expected to deal with the conditions.
The situation calls to mind last year’s U.S. Open, when Shuia Peng had to retire from her women’s semifinal match due to heat illness. Temperatures were about 84 degrees in New York that day; they’re likely to be much higher throughout the first week at Wimbledon.
While the players seem to be taking it all in stride, the spectators are seriously struggling.
“You can’t sit and watch, at least not for too long, you have to move around a lot,” a fan told The Independent. “We brought water, high factor sun cream and an umbrella because we’re hoping to watch Andy Murray on Murray Mound and there is nowhere to hide there.”
More than 100 spectators were treated for heat-related illness on Monday. Two people were taken to the hospital after meeting with tournament first aid workers, according to the British paper.
The heat is expected to reach 95 degrees later this week, which would break a local record (91.4) for this month.
In an attempt to avoid repeating the issues faced on Day 1, tournament organizers decided to limit the number of tickets sold on Tuesday. The All England Club capped ticket sales at about 38,000 for Tuesday, about 5,000 fewer than Monday.
It’s “just to see how it goes, just to see if people are getting the shade and all the water and there are no unforeseen problems,” said All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis.
That doesn’t necessarily mean fewer people will show up – it just means that more of the fans who hope to buy day passes will be left waiting in line. More fans would be permitted inside in the late afternoon and early evening, once the heat had started to break, Lewis added.
“The obvious guidance [is] drink more, stay hydrated, put the sunscreen on and get in the shade on a fairly frequent basis, all that sort of thing,” he said. “I know it’s easier said than done: if you’ve got a great seat and it’s not reserved, you don’t want to give it up.”
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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at [email protected] or find her on Twitter and Facebook.
