Novak Djokovic survived into the second round but plenty of others did not as players struggled to cope with the extreme heat and humidity here at the US Open on Tuesday.
On a stifling day when four men retired from their matches less than four hours after the start of play, Djokovic dug deep to beat Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. The Wimbledon champion was helped by the introduction of a new rule which allowed male players, for the first time in Grand Slam competition in the open era, to take a 10-minute break after the third set because of the extreme conditions.
A Djokovic victory had not seemed likely in the second set and for much of the third. With the temperature climbing up to 33C and the high humidity having a particularly draining effect, the 31-year-old Serb was in serious difficulty. He called for the trainer and tournament doctor and even asked for a bin to be placed next to his chair because he feared he was going to vomit.
However, Djokovic is one of the game’s most resilient performers and his subsequent recovery was hugely impressive. From 4-2 down in the third set he launched a gutsy comeback as Fucsovics also started to feel the effects of the conditions.
“We both struggled,” Djokovic admitted afterwards. “I think towards the end of the third we started playing a bit better, at least from my side. I started hitting the ball better, but before that it was survival mode.” Asked how he had felt when he was trailing in the third set, Djokovic said: “I was praying that I would feel better. I wasn’t feeling great for most of the first three sets.”
Djokovic had taken the first set without too much trouble but early in the second it was clear that he was not feeling well. With Fucsovics leading 5-2 Djokovic called for assistance and a trainer helped to drape ice towels over his body.
His troubles continued into the third set, but with Fucsovics leading 4-3 it was the Hungarian’s turn to seek help from the trainer and doctor. Djokovic fought back to win 10 games in a row to close out his victory and was particularly grateful for the new rule which enabled both players to take a break at the end of the third set.
Djokovic said that he and Fucsovics both took ice baths after leaving the court. “The rule was that we weren’t allowed to speak to any of our team members in the locker room,” Djokovic said. “My physio was a couple of feet away from each other and we were kind of winking at each other and giving each other signs about what I was supposed to do or not do.
“Marton and I were in ice baths, one next to the other. We were naked in the ice baths and it was quite a wonderful feeling. You battle with a guy for two and a half hours and then you get in the locker room, you haven’t finished the match and you get into the locker room and you’re naked in the ice baths.”
It has long been a mystery to many observers why the Women’s Tennis Association has a heat rule to implement in extreme conditions while the Association of Tennis Professionals has nothing in place for the men.
The United States Tennis Association, however, decided today that both sexes needed protection. The WTA’s rule for women, whereby the players can leave the court for a 10-minute break before the deciding set, was extended to the men, who were given the opportunity to take a break between the third and fourth sets. Tournament organisers made the decision on the basis of advice from their medical team.
It became clear early in the day that a number of the men were suffering. Stefano Travaglia was cramping and quit with Hubert Hurkacz leading 6-2, 2-6, 7-6, 3-0, while Leonardo Mayer was clearly struggling with the conditions and retired when trailing Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 2-1.
Ricardas Berankis was also behind in the fourth set when he threw in the ice towel against Hyeon Chung, who was leading 4-6, 7-6, 6-0, 2-0. The tournament referee described Berankis’ problem as “heat illness”.
Travaglia said after his retirement: “At the end of the third set I asked for the physio. After I had treatment I just could hardly move. I couldn’t walk straight. After one or two games I started cramping, but that wasn’t my main problem. I didn’t want to take a risk. I tried to play tennis, but when I was two sets to one down and two breaks down in the fourth set I didn’t think it made any sense to carry on.”
He added: “I think the temperature was 36C or 37C, but it felt even hotter than that on court. When you have only 25 seconds between the points, with this weather and a lot of humidity, it’s not possible. It was really difficult for all the players.”
Asked if he thought it was unfair to ask players to compete in these conditions, Travaglia said: “I don’t know if it’s unfair. Every player is different. Maybe some feel good and some feel bad. It’s never happened to me before. This is the first time I’ve felt like this. I’ve had cramps before, but it was the first time with this problem for me.”
Marius Copil retired because of an arm problem. The Romanian made a flying start against Marin Cilic, but faded after leading 5-1 in the opening set. Cilic won 13 of the next 15 games and was leading 7-6, 5-1, 1-1 when Copil retired. The conditions are expected to remain the same until late on Wednesday before the temperatures drop sharply in the latter part of the week.
