Jakub Mensik collapsed on court docket after profitable a grueling second spherical match in sweltering climate on the French Open, saying his physique “simply turned off.”
A heatwave continues in France, with temperatures reaching the mid-30s Celsius.
Mensik, 20, was overcome with emotion and convulsions and collapsed to the ground after defeating Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13-11) in 4 hours and 41 minutes.
The Czech, who had proven flashes in his younger profession, was tormented by accidents, struggled with motion and wanted eight match factors to safe victory.
After he fell to the ground, his opponent Navone congratulated him throughout the web and helped him up, however Mensik was unable to maneuver.
The twenty sixth seed lay on the ground for a number of minutes as a number of medical employees attended to him, making use of ice packs to his head, neck and chest.
An ice pack was additionally positioned on the ground so Meng-sik may relaxation his head on it like a pillow.
Ultimately, Mensik was helped to his toes and walked off the court docket, however he struggled once more on the best way to the locker room.
He was then taken away in a wheelchair and later advised the media that he had been taking ice baths and doing restoration periods within the fitness center as he started getting ready for Friday’s third-round match in opposition to eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur.
Mensik stated, “Once I hit the final winner, the feelings went away and my physique utterly turned off.”
“It is insane to play on this climate, particularly in entrance of the solar for over 4 and a half hours.
“Even when there’s a break, there’s not plenty of time. Ball children cannot convey towels and so they solely have a minute for changeover. Thirty seconds have already handed earlier than they sit down, so there’s not plenty of time to chill down.”
Mensik, who was enjoying on the outer court docket at Roland Garros with no shade, stated he was additionally pissed off that he was penalized for taking too lengthy between factors and misplaced his first serve twice consequently.
Elsewhere, former three-time champion Novak Djokovic performed Frenchman Valentin Royer on the coated Courtroom Philippe Chatrier, the place he was on court docket for 3 hours and 44 minutes.
The 39-year-old Serbian misplaced an in depth third set in a tiebreak however recovered to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3.
Djokovic instructed in his post-match press convention that scheduling Grand Slam matches later within the night may very well be “one thing to contemplate” instead within the occasion of maximum situations.
French Open organizers monitor temperatures with two moist bulb sensors at Chatrier and Courtroom 14.
If a threshold is reached, a 10-minute break could also be launched after the second set of ladies’s matches and the third set of males’s matches.
If temperatures proceed to rise, video games could also be suspended till the warmth subsides.
By no means earlier than has a French Open match been canceled attributable to excessive warmth.
Ladies’s No. 15 seed Marta Kostyuk stated situations up to now this week weren’t as unhealthy as what she skilled when she performed on the identical venue on the 2024 Olympics, however added: “It is nonetheless sizzling, it’s totally dry. I all the time felt like I wanted to drink, I needed to drink an increasing number of. It has been robust.”
Former finalist Casper Ruud stated on Monday he felt like he was “strolling round like a zombie” and feared he was affected by warmth stroke after struggling convulsions in 33-degree temperatures.
One participant who escaped Wednesday’s worst situations was second-seeded males’s Alexander Zverev, who performed within the evening session when temperatures dropped to round 18 levels Celsius.
Zverev, who was runner-up at Roland Garros in 2024, continued his bid for his first Grand Slam title by defeating Czech Republic’s Tomas Machak 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in a single hour and 48 minutes with a dominant efficiency.
