As the morning haze burned off and the sun beat down at Wimbledon, temperatures yesterday reached into the 30s as fans lazily took to the grassy patches around the All England Club. However, organisers refused to close the Centre Court roof despite issuing warnings to spectators to hydrate and keep out of the sun.
When Andy Murray won the 2013 final and temperatures hit 30 degrees (cooler than it was yesterday), 79 fans needed first aid for dehydration, heat exhaustion and sunburn.
The Met Office also told British media that London is expected to be the hottest place in the country as the heat reaches its peak, with Wimbledon having a 30 per chance of exceeding 36 degrees over the coming days.
The players were the least of the organisers’ concerns, while fans gloried in the blue skies, largely ignoring the advice with many sunbathing wherever they could find space, mostly on the picnic areas in and around the big screen at Henman Hill.
Neither Serena Williams or Roger Federer, however, feared the heat, Williams having just returned from Florida, where the mercury tipped 42 degrees. Federer was asked about the sun hammering down on him during his first match on Centre Court but could not see what the fuss was about, at least with regards to the players.
“It was not hot. It was totally fine. It was perfect conditions, to be honest,” said the seven-time champion after his straight-sets win over Damir Dzumhur. “It was nice. No clouds whatsoever. So it was straight on, just perfect playing conditions, to be honest. It was wonderful.”
Federer was also asked about the heat rule, which organisers officially clarified. Earlier in the week it was reported in newspapers that the rule was one-sided and sexist.
Stress index
The heat rule allows a 10 minute break between the second and third set when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1 degrees. But it only applies to ladies’ and girls’ singles events.
The heat stress is index is a measure of air temperature, humidity and surface temperature. It is much hotter in Centre Court than outside, especially for spectators who can end up sitting in the same spot for hours.
Forecasters are predicting even higher temperatures than throughout this week. The hottest day on record at the championships was June 26th 1976, when the numbers peaked at 34.6 degrees.
“I don’t know their rule, to be honest,” said Federer.
“Almost don’t want to know it. I’m just happy the way we have it. Isn’t it the discretion of the supervisor or the umpire maybe.
“Had no problems whatsoever in all these matches, all these years that I’ve played.
“In Australia, we’ve had some moments. But here, in Europe, seriously, on clay, grass, the problem never comes. We have [in Australia] concrete underneath, on the side of you, the sun beating down, it gets rough.
“I feel more for the fans almost, and the officials and the ball boys and the linesmen and spectators rather than us. We can play through these kind of conditions because we’re used to it.
“It’s hard when it is 20 degrees throughout, then all of a sudden it spikes to 40. That’s hard for us, no doubt. But I think if they make a heat rule, it’s almost for everybody around us. It’s not comfortable sitting eight hours in that kind of a heat, I guess.”
Mercy of traditions
But Wimbledon is always at the mercy of traditions, which is sometimes inspiring and other times incomprehensible. Officials have ruled out closing the roof on Centre Court, despite doing so to provide shade over the Royal Box in 2009.
A spokesman said: “The championships is an outdoor day-time event. Therefore, in good weather, the roof will only be used if it is too dark to play on without it.”
The All England Club is under pressure to avoid a repeat of last year’s Australian Open debacle in Melbourne, when soaring temperatures led to players collapsing and sparked criticism from fans and health experts.
Organisers there were criticised for forcing play to continue despite temperatures above 40C, conditions which were branded “inhumane” by Canadian Frank Dancevic after he collapsed on court. A ball-boy also needed medical treatment.
Caroline Wozniacki claimed that her water bottle had started to melt, while American, John Isner, who played in the longest match on record in Wimbledon, said going on court was like opening an oven.
