Australian Open 2018: Scorching Melbourne heat leaving players 'right at the limit' and 'struggling to breathe'
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both got through in the searing 40C heat
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Your support makes all the difference.Novak Djokovic was reported to have requested an afternoon rather than an evening slot for his second-round encounter with Gael Monfils here on Thursday at the Australian Open, but the former world No 1 might have later regretted it as the temperatures approached 40C on a scorchingly hot day.
After his 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 victory Djokovic described the conditions as “brutal” and said they were “right at the limit” in terms of being a danger to health. “It was about just hanging in there,” he said.
Djokovic, who at his post-match press conference failed to answer a question about whether he had asked for an afternoon match, might have wanted to test himself in the heat of the day. If that was the case he certainly fared better than Monfils, who faded quickly after the opening set.
“It was obvious that he was not at his best,” Djokovic said. “At times we were both just trying to get a little bit of extra breath, a few seconds more, so we could recover. We were also getting into some long exchanges and rallies. That's what happens when we play each other.
“It was just one of these days where you had to stay tough mentally. I think physically it was obvious that you just have to try to hang in there.”
Monfils said: “I was dying on the court for 40 minutes. It was tough to breathe. I think it was the hardest [conditions] I have played in. No matter how much you train in the heat, no matter how much you like the heat, it’s very tough.”
On several occasions the Frenchman asked the umpire to abandon the rule allowing only 25 seconds between points, though it was Djokovic who was given a time violation. “I got super-dizzy,” Monfils added. “I tried to cool down, but even with the ice towel and the water, I think my body was super-warm.”
Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, who was beaten 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 by Lauren Davis, said she could not think straight during her match. “I was just trying to survive,” she said. “I feel more for the spectators. There are a lot of elderly people who like to watch the tennis, there are kids, there are people who heave health issues.”
The temperature was still 39C at 7pm and the forecast for Friday suggests it will get even hotter, with 42C predicted by the middle of the afternoon. However, the tournament’s heat rule, under which matches are suspended, is unlikely to come into operation because the humidity is expected to be low. A formula which takes into account both heat and humidity is used.
By the evening the temperature on Thursday had dropped a little, though it was still 33C by the time Roger Federer began the last match of the evening in Rod Laver Arena. The defending champion, who had requested an evening match, beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-4, 7-6. His only hiccup came when Struff broke to lead 3-1 in the second set but Federer broke back immediately and went on to win the tie-break 7-4.
Federer’s Swiss colleague, Stan Wawrinka, also had the benefit of an evening match but the 2014 champion was beaten 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by the American Tennys Sandgren in the final match in Margaret Court Arena.
Wawrinka, who had knee surgery last summer and only decided to play here 48 hours before the start of the tournament, was in physical difficulty from the start. He clutched his knee regularly and struggled with his movement throughout the match.
Alexander Zverev beat his fellow German, Peter Gojowcyzk, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The world No 4’s level dipped in the third set but he recovered to earn a third-round meeting with Chung Hyeon.
Juan Martin del Potro also seemed to struggle in the conditions but beat Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 after a gruelling contest that lasted three hours and 45 minutes. The 29-year-old Argentinian also had treatment for a thigh problem. “I had pain everywhere but I'm still standing up,” he said afterwards.
David Goffin, who was considered by many as an outsider for the title, was another who appeared to wilt in the heat. The Belgian was beaten 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6 by the 36-year-old Frenchman, Julien Benneteau. The world No 59 is through to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time for five years.
The comic actor, Will Ferrell, who has been attending the tournament this week, had a different take on the conditions.
“Everyone says hydrate,” he told a press conference. “I don’t. I don’t drink any fluids except that I drink a lot of clam chowder. I don’t know if you guys call it clam chowder down here. Hot, thick soups. That’s the way to go. And hot milk.”
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