Tennis – Wimbledon experienced its hottest-ever start on a scorching yesterday as temperatures climbed to 32.3 degrees Celsius and transformed the All England Club into a sizzling spectacle of sun hats, shade-seekers and fans reaching for water bottles.
The All England Club said the air temperature, confirmed by the French meteorological administration Meteo France, eclipsed the previous opening-day high of 29.3 degrees set at the start of the 2001 edition.
Fans were left feeling like they were in the Australian Open furnace rather than London as yesterday’s temperature threatened to surpass the tournament record of 35.7 degrees, which was reached in 2015.
Wimbledon’s heat rule was applied and players were allowed to take 10-minute breaks during their matches.
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca said he felt more at home under the unforgiving sun as he sent local hope Jacob Fearnley packing in three sets.
“For me it was hot. Actually close to Rio sometimes. In the summer, Rio is very hot. I’m more used (to it) than the European people,” the 18-year-old said.
Organisers said apart from making sure there was plenty of ice on courts and having more than 100 water points around the grounds, there were also protocols in place for the ball kids, with all of them protecting their necks with cooling scarves.
“We’ll be rotating them more if we feel we need to,” All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton told reporters in the morning as she outlined the club’s preparedness.
“For colleagues working around the grounds, we’ve got plenty of changes in shift patterns to make sure that they are getting regular breaks.
“For the guests that will be joining us, we’re offering the same advice as medical professionals – Come prepared, bring a hat, wear sunscreen, wear light clothing if you can, and take breaks out of the sun.
“We’ve got a significantly sized medical team, so we’ve got people to help if needed. We’re not used to these temperatures. But we are absolutely ready for it and actually delighted that it’s sunny and not wet like it was last year.”
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