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At the Cincinnati Tennis Masters you could fry an egg on the base line.
At the US Open in New York players are literally dropping out with brutal heat exhaustion due mainly to the slow court requiring long rallies, but also the high humidity, post Irene.
I am getting mixed messages from an American commentary who may want to deny what non American commentators are saying. “It’s too darn hot”. The fact is that after just one round, players have collapsed on court, and a total of nine players have retired without completing their matches. Add to that the retirement of both Venus Williams and Stepanek in the second round, (now ongoing), and you have an unprecedented situation.
Much has been said about the heat endurance training of Andy Murray which clearly contributed to his success against the flagging Djokovic, who wilted in Cincinnati even in the more favourable matches that he was assigned.
The former and indeed the now current Cincinnati Champion Andy Murray, was obliged to compete all week in the brutal mid day sun on court three, while Djokovic Federer and Nadal all got the cooler evening matches throughout the week, and all were nevertheless found wanting of what was expected of them by most pundits.
How much energy to conserve in the USA hard court season, is of paramount concern to all tennis players, but Murray is no ordinary tennis player and at Cincinnati he was prepared to be tested by more than what faced Djokovic Nadal and Federer, and he was rewarded deservedly with another title. I was prepared to gamble that an inform Mardy Fish, would beat Murray in view of his Miami roots that would have prepared him for the heat of Cincinnati, but Murray swept him aside proving his commitment and fitness and preparedness for any opponent not prepared to endure a brutal battle, in an unforgiving cauldron, where Djokovic fell short.
To Djokovic’s credit he went out and got himself fitter with spectacular consequences, but last week in Cincinnati his fitness bubble burst; beaten by Murray in the final. When Djokovic called for the trainer, was he beaten or was he knackered? We shall never know, but now in New York he was given yet another early soft first round, while Murray was again disadvantaged by being last to appear on the third day, and then in the most brutal part of the day.
They are addressing this problem elsewhere in the world and things are becoming more equitable, but not in New York. In all of the grand slams each player has to play seven five-set matches over two weeks ensuring, you would think, at least one rest day between each match. Not so. Murray will again be required to play his 7 matches within 11 days, clearly depriving him of the rest time provided to the other players, and notably provided to all of his main rivals, Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.
This is a recurring problem that needs to be addressed.
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