Novak Djokovic leads calls for tennis matches at Tokyo Olympics to be played later in day due to extreme heat

Novak Djokovic
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Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic are calling for matches at the Tokyo Olympics to be played later in the day due to the extreme heat in Japan.

Tennis players at the Games are currently playing in temperatures of around 33 degrees, while the high humidity is only adding to the problem.

Players have tried to use ice bags to cool down, but World No.2 Medvedev has called for matches to be moved to the evenings.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev
AP

He has found support from World No.1, and recent Wimbledon champion, Djokovic as he too has found the heat hard to deal with.

“I agree with him 100 percent,” Djokovic said after finishing off his first-round match on the Centre Court of Ariake Tennis Park in an hour.

“I actually asked as well. My team captain Viktor Troicki was speaking to the referee a couple of times.

“To be honest I don’t understand why they don’t start matches at say 3pm. I heard for tennis there’s some kind of curfew for them to finish by midnight. If that’s the case I just finished the last match. It’s not even 5pm.

“We still have like seven hours to play. They have the lights on all the courts, they’re going to make life much easier for all of us players. I just don’t understand why they don’t move it, I sincerely don’t understand.”

The International Tennis Federation, which is the governing body of the sport at the Olympics, said its ‘extreme weather policy’ was implemented during the day.

Tennis - Olympics: Day 1
Heather Watson
Getty Images

The policy allows a 10-minute break between the second and third set if agreed by both players while play can be suspended if conditions are deemed dangerous. Play on Centre Court can, however, continue after the retractable roof is closed.

“Player health is paramount and great consideration has been given to the 11am or a later start,” the ITF said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“The decision to retain 11 am was made based on data, a nine-day event and to accommodate factors such as local authority restrictions due to COVID-19 and the unpredictability of the weather.

“Extreme conditions will always put pressure on a schedule and make an optimum schedule challenging. Rainfall is as much of an issue as extreme heat.”

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