John McEnroe has called on the USTA to close the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium after another sweltering day of heat in New York, as he called the conditions ‘not humane’ for players.
With temperatures at 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius) on Wednesday, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev struggled through their quarterfinal match, which Medvedev won in straight sets.
And McEnroe thinks something has to change.
‘These poor guys today … they looked like they’re going to fall over,’ McEnroe said on the match broadcast, per Larry Brown Sports. ‘It’s not humane in a way.’
‘I’m sorry. Please, USTA, in the future, I think seriously we should close the roof.’
Daniil Medvedev was seen struggling to cope with the heat in his quarterfinal on Wednesday
And John McEnroe thinks something has to change for the tournament in the future
Andrey Rublev appeared to slump in the sweltering New York heat during his loss Wednesday
Medvedev doused himself with water as he tried to cope with the brutal conditions
Typically, the roof at Ashe closes for rain but not extreme heat.
But the latter would be a welcome change for players like Medvedev, who claimed to cameras during his last match that a player would ‘die’ in the conditions.
‘The only good thing I see in these conditions is that both suffer,’ Medvedev said after his win. ‘Usually there is not one that suffers so it’s tough for both of us.’
The world no. 3 claimed he ‘couldn’t see the ball’ at the end of the first set, which he won 6-4.
‘I kind of played with sensations. Just tried to go for it, tried to run, tried to catch the balls and [Rublev] did the same.’
Medvedev was seen shirtless with a towel over his head between games, and also dumping cold water on his head.
Rublev could also be seen slumping over during the match.
McEnroe added during the broadcast that the Open should aim to showcase ‘the best tennis player, not a war of attrition.’
Medvedev’s semifinal vs. world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Friday could be a bit of both.
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