Wimbledon’s hottest opening day sees players deal with sweltering conditions

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club, June 30 – 13 .

As Wimbledon’s hottest opening day ever came to an end, players, ground staff, and spectators had to deal with sweltering conditions.

By 16:00 BST on Monday, the temperature on the grounds had surpassed the previous record set at the start of the Championships, which was 29.3C.

Due to additional factors that Wimbledon uses to determine heat stress, the tournament’s extreme heat rule, which allows players to take 10-minute breaks, has not yet been implemented.

Ice packs, cold towels, and plenty of water were provided to help players regulate their temperature during changeovers.

While spectators tried to shade themselves with hats, umbrellas, and even towels, while other ball boys and girls used hand-held fans to cool themselves down, both were given cooling scarves.

The 2015 tournament record was 35.7C, which is the highest temperature ever recorded during the event.

When determining the appropriate application of the heat rule, Wimbledon organizers use the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) heat index, which combines air temperature, humidity, and surface temperature readings.

Players are permitted to leave the court during the break, which occurs after the second set for all best-of-three set matches and after the third for all best-of-five set matches.

Following a 15-minute break in the decisive set, when a sun-sitting spectator became ill, Carlos Alcaraz’s five-set victory over Fabio Fognini came to an end.

Alcaraz, the defending champion who had been waiting for four and a half hours, reached out and gave the victim a bottle of cold water to aid their recovery.

Cameron Norrie, the third-ranked Britishman, was unhappy with the temperature of the court’s water.

“I tried my best, and it was really important to keep the bottles cold because the bottles provided do not do that.” I needed to bring a little thermal device, Norrie said.

“A few times, I requested warm water to be filled up. Amazing, but it was difficult because they did a really good job with the ice towels.

Following Monday’s peak, when temperatures reached a high of over 30C in the majority of the nation, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office issued an amber heat-health alert until Tuesday.

Dr. Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection for the UKHSA, said: “Our findings show that heat, especially at the temperatures we are likely to see this week, can seriously affect the health of all people, especially those who are older or those who have pre-existing health conditions.”

Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, stated before the start of Monday’s match that Wimbledon was “ready for this hot weather.”

The players have a “typical” level of competition in these kinds of climates. They have access to a heat rule that we’ll put into place, according to Bolton.

We’re giving the same advice to fans who are attending, those Brits who are a little less accustomed to these kinds of temperatures: wear a hat, light clothing, sunscreen, and keep yourself hydrated.

There is plenty of water available because there are more than 100 water points all around the ground. Please take good care of one another as well. Take some time away from the sun – we’re all aware that this is your chance to watch some incredible tennis, but it’s actually advisable to take some.

Ons Jabeur, who had previously won the Wimbledon twice, had to withdraw from her first-round contest.

The Tunisian had her blood pressure checked and an ice towel wrapped around her neck during a medical timeout in the first set.

She made a decision to leave after leading 7-6 (7-5) 2-0 to Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova in a match that started at 11:00 BST.

The players’ opinions on the temperature varied.

After her opening three-set victory over Jelena Ostapenko, British tennis star Sonay Kartal declared, “I’m not going to lie, it was pretty hot. I believe I made a rookie error by not changing my clothes at the end of the first set.

“I had ice towels, cold drinks, and stuff,” I said. I wouldn’t say that I was too affected. Without wind or rain, it was nice to play. It’s a good first day, in my opinion.

American Frances Tiafoe once said, “Honestly, I didn’t feel that hot out there.” It was very hot. I was sweating, but I didn’t really feel that hot, I must admit.

I don’t know if wearing all white, but I didn’t really feel hot. In the heat of the day, I’ll travel to [the Washington] Open and play there, where there’s no pretending. That will be extremely hot.

German Eva Lys, who also advanced through her first-round match, said: “It was] difficult. Really, really tough. My racquet was very slippery because I was extremely sweating.

“It’s my first time playing on grass with heat.” It really hurts my legs, in my opinion. Particularly in the third set, I experienced this. I believe the spectators had a difficult time adjusting to the heat, and I believe everyone is currently having a hard time.

Similar weather is expected for Tuesday, according to BBC Weather’s senior meteorologist, George Goodfellow, who predicts “dry, sunny, and very hot again, with only a very slight breeze at most.”

“The high will likely be comparable to today, above 30C,” Goodfellow continued. At Kew Gardens, which is closest to Wimbledon, we’re going with 33C.