Medvedev challenges heat-related dangers

(New York) Daniil Medvedev went to the end of his resistance on Wednesday to qualify for the semi-finals of the United States Open despite the sweltering humid heat at Flushing Meadows and he then warned of the dangers of playing in these conditions .

“We sweat so much, we use so many towels, that the red marks I have on my face (on my nose, cheekbones and around my mouth, editor’s note) are not burns from the sun, but because I don’t ‘have more skin,’ said the Russian, adding that his opponent of the day Andrey Rublev’s face was in the same condition.

“That says it all… We gave it our all. But the problem is that if the match had lasted longer, we would have left even more. I was exhausted, but if the match had continued, I would have still found energy. So what is a little dangerous is knowing how far we would have gone, ”he warned after his 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the afternoon.

Having made this observation, Medvedev admits that he does not have a solution.

“It’s been hot like this for several days, but we can’t suspend the tournament for four days, it poses problems for TV, for ticketing… Playing the best of three sets when the conditions are these? Some players will not agree because, in five sets, two sets to zero we can always hope to come back. Even if we decide to play all the matches at night, we realize with the Sinner-Zverev match (Monday) that they weren’t in much better shape than Andrey (Rublev) and me because the nights in New York can be very hot and humid,” Medvedev said.

“I don’t have a solution, but I think it’s good to talk about it before something happens,” he concluded.