By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) -Wimbledon is braced for its hottest ever start with London set to endure a searing heatwave that is forecast to peak as play begins at the All England Club on Monday.
With the mercury expected to rise into the mid-30s Celsius on Monday after a hot weekend, players, organisers, ticket holders and those queuing face a challenging day.
The previous record temperature for the start of the grass court Grand Slam event was set in 2001 when 29.3C was reached.
Monday’s expected blast of heat could even surpass the tournament record of 35.7 degrees in 2015 when on-court temperatures were significantly higher than that.
Wimbledon’s heat rule will likely come into force, allowing a 10-minute break in play when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius.
The WBGT, which will be taken before the start of play and then at 1400 and 1700, takes various factors into account including ambient temperature, humidity, wind and sun angle.
The rule will apply after the second set for all best of three set matches, and after the third for all best of five set matches with players allowed to leave the court during the break, but not to receive coaching or medical treatment.
‘LESS INTERESTING’
While welcoming the heat rule, Chris Taylor, an environmental physiology researcher at the University of Roehampton, said the heat could affect the quality of matches.
“It’s good that they have a rule that uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature but what it doesn’t factor in is what the players are doing,” he told Reuters.
“Most of the heat risk for players relates to their actual body temperature increasing, 80% of their body temperature is related to what they’re doing.
“Many players will change the way they play if it’s that warm, shorter points and perhaps less interesting for the fans.
“Top players with the resources for warm weather training are used to heat and are conditioned and will probably be okay, but the real problem is for players who are not used to it and cannot adapt their play.”
He also said iced towels applied to the back of the neck during changeovers are not necessarily the best way for players to cool down.
“It’s like a football team giving a pain-killing injection to their star player before a cup final, it makes them feel better but the injury is still there,” he said.
“If it’s core body temperature you want to bring down, the towels aren’t really going to do much.
“The feet and the forearms have a lot of blood vessels and (cooling them down) is quite a good method of heat exchange, also the groin where you have the femoral artery.”
‘COMPREHENSIVE PLANS’
While elite players are likely to cope with the expected heat, Wimbledon organisers are taking precautions to protect the general public and staff, including ball boys and girls (BBGs).
“Adverse weather is a key consideration in our planning for The Championships, and we are prepared for the predicted hot weather, with comprehensive plans in place for guests, players, staff and the BBGs,” a club statement said.
More free water refill stations will be provided around the grounds and real-time weather alerts will be announced on big screens and via the tournament website.
Staff shifts will also be adjusted to mitigate the heat while ‘shade-mapping’ will help people get away from the sun.
After extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are expected to drop to the low to mid 20s for the rest of the week with some rain showers likely.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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