LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon was preparing for the possibility of record-breaking Day 1 heat as the oldest Grand Slam tournament got started Monday.
The temperature shortly before play was scheduled to begin in the first matches at 11 a.m. local time was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius) — not yet quite reaching the 85 F (29.3 C) measured during the first day of the 2001 fortnight.
“I’ll spend the whole day going from one shady spot to another,” said Sally Bolton, the chief executive officer of the All England Club.
“Obviously, it’s a very warm day. The first obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the tour,” Bolton said. “For us Brits here at The Championships, it feels very hot.”
The average daytime temperature in London in June is 71 F (21.5 C), although the government’s official weather office said this spring was “the UK’s warmest and sunniest” since that’s been tracked.
Wimbledon, like other tennis tournaments, monitors air temperature, surface temperature and humidity for a heat-stress reading that, if it exceeds 30.1 C (about 86 F), allows for 10-minute breaks between the second and third sets of women’s matches or between the third and fourth sets of men’s matches.
Among other precautions being taken Monday, Bolton said, were having more ice on court available for players to use to cool off, rotating ball girls and boys more frequently “if we feel we need to,” and giving regular breaks to workers around the grounds.
As for fans, Bolton said, “we’re offering the same advice as lots of the medical professionals: Come prepared. Bring a hat. Wear sunscreen. Wear light clothing if you can. Take breaks out of the sun. We’ve got over 100 water points around the grounds, so definitely stay hydrated. And keep an eye on your friends and others around you. If people look like they’re suffering a little bit from heat stress, we’ve got a really significantly sized medical team here.”
This is nothing compared to what athletes and spectators experience during the local summers when the Australian Open is held in Melbourne in January or the U.S. Open is held in New York in August and September, when temperatures regularly get to 90 F (32 C) and can top 100 F (38 C).
A 2023 Associated Press analysis showed the average high temperatures felt during the U.S. Open and the three other major tennis tournaments steadily have gotten higher and more dangerous in recent decades, reflecting the climate change that has created record heat waves. For the players, it can inhibit them from playing their best and, worse, increase the likelihood of heat-related illness.
On Monday, fans were using umbrellas to offer shade, not protection from the drizzles often seen around these parts. A year ago, because of persistent showers, it took four days — instead of the scheduled two — to complete the first round.
Thinking back to the rain-filled Wimbledon of 2024, Bolton joked: “We’re not used to these sort of temperatures, but we’re absolutely ready for it — and actually delighted that it’s sunny and not wet, like it was last year.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
