Scorching Paris: Heatwave turns French Open into survival test

Tennis athletes at this year’s French Open are battling not only their opponents but also unusually intense heat, as temperatures on the clay courts have climbed to between 32°C and 35°C on most afternoons this week.

While disruptive weather is nothing new at the Roland-Garros tournament, the formal name of the event, this year’s tournament has swapped its usual rain delays and damp conditions for a punishing heatwave, as The Guardian reports.

The extreme temperatures have been so uncommon for the tournament that confusion emerged earlier this week over how the event’s heat regulations would actually be applied. The tournament organisers rely on wet-bulb sensors to monitor conditions, and matches can theoretically be suspended once temperatures exceed 32.2°C. So far, however, no matches have been halted because of the heat.

Conditions have also varied dramatically depending on the court. Some players have benefited from partial shade or retractable roofs, while others have been forced to compete under direct sunlight on fully exposed courts for several hours.

Twenty-sixth seed Jakub Mensik described the conditions as “insane to play in” after collapsing with cramps following his five-set second-round victory over Mariano Navone. The Czech player had to be escorted to the locker room in a wheelchair.

Even Casper Ruud, widely regarded as one of the tour’s most physically durable competitors and a two-time French Open finalist, struggled badly in the opening round. The Norwegian appeared close to defeat before recovering in the fifth set to overcome Roman Safiullin.

“I felt at times really dizzy and just really tired and walking around like a zombie almost,” Ruud said.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner also suffered a shock second-round defeat that snapped a 30-match winning streak dating back to February. The Italian initially looked to be cruising toward victory after dominating the opening two sets and building a 5-1 lead in the third against the world No. 56. But just four points away from a routine win, Sinner began shaking out his legs and stumbling between points. Before long, he could barely move around the court.

Although Sinner later said illness had contributed to his physical struggles, analysts noted that the extreme heat likely played a major role in his collapse.

Another tennis champion, Novak Djokovic, managed to get through his matches despite the conditions, but admitted afterwards that the temperatures had drained his energy. The Serbian also suggested organisers should consider scheduling matches later in the day during extreme heat.

“Is it ideal to go over midnight? Yeah, it’s not,” he said. “But if you have certain days that you have extreme heat and conditions, then maybe that’s something to consider.”

Among those spared the worst of the heat was Alexander Zverev, the men’s second seed, who played during the evening session when temperatures had cooled to around 18°C.

Despite being draining on the player's physical condition, the heat is also dramatically changing the way matches are played on clay.

Cooler, wetter conditions usually make the balls heavier and slow the surface down, leading to longer rallies and lower bounces. In contrast, the hot and dry weather this year has hardened the courts, allowing the ball to travel faster and bounce higher.

The quicker conditions favour aggressive players and strong servers, while heavy topspin hitters — such as retired 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal — would traditionally become even more dangerous as the ball kicks higher off the clay.

By Nazrin Sadigova