Players and fans left sweating at Wimbledon as SW19 faces sweltering 31C temperatures in latest heatwave
Wimbledon experienced its hottest day of the championships so far on Sunday; temperatures soared to 30°C, turning SW19 into a sweltering endurance test for players, officials and spectators.
Attendees queued from the early hours to watch players including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, while using fans and umbrellas to cope with the heat.
Players were offered special ice towels on the field to help them cool down, and more than 100 water stations were placed on the field for spectators.
Temperatures have risen to 30 degrees for the first time at this Championship as a yellow heat health alert has been issued for London by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) until 8pm next Saturday.
Wimbledon operations director Michelle Dite said organizers had stepped up outreach measures but stressed that spectators must also take responsibility for dealing with the conditions.
He said: ‘This is about people getting ready for their day. It’s about applying sunscreen and bringing your own water. We allow people to bring their own water, their own food and drinks. It’s about taking some time and asking people to take some responsibility.’
He added: ‘We have increased our shade and shelter for the people here. For example, many people will go to restaurants and sit and get some cool air, but we encourage people to take personal responsibility.’
Spectators who lined up to watch the players from the early hours of the morning used fans and umbrellas to cope with the heat.
Temperatures have risen to 30 degrees for the first time at this Championship as a yellow heat health alert has been issued for London
Ms Dite said Wimbledon was continuing to invest in long-term infrastructure changes as extreme heat became more common in British summers.
‘We’re trying to make sure we can provide as much shade and shelter as we can, not just for our temporary structures, but also when we’re making permanent improvements here.
‘We have our own retractable roof in the Tea Garden, we have protection in the South Village, we now have protection for the Hill. We try to improve this every year. It’s working really well and is something we continue to focus on.’
Winston Sedgwick, assistant manager of the field services team, said his team was ready to help boys and girls feeling cold in the heat.
‘One of the biggest challenges they have is heat,’ he said. Sedgwick said one of the catchers on the 7th green was taken out of the field last Thursday because he was ‘becoming quite unstable in the heat.’
‘Our team had to get him out, put ice on his wrists, shade him, make sure he had enough to drink and look after him,’ he said.
‘This is something we have to do and we’re quite happy to do it. And if the weather next week is anything like the last heatwave, that’s going to be something we’re going to be very, very involved in.’
It has also been confirmed that Wimbledon will be offering handheld fans for the first time this year, priced at £20, as demand for heat-removing products increases during the hot weather.
They’re even stretching resources to protect those stuck in the heat in lines and on the ground by giving away hundreds of thousands of free sunscreen samples as part of their partnership with La Roche-Posay.
Wimbledon operations director Michelle Dite said organizers had stepped up outreach measures but stressed that spectators must also take responsibility for dealing with the conditions.
Sunday’s heat came close to triggering Wimbledon’s Excessive Heat Rule; This rule allows a 10-minute break in singles matches when the tournament’s heat stress index exceeds a certain threshold.
Pauses may be made before the fourth set in men’s matches and before the third set in women’s singles matches; umpires may use a combination of air temperature, humidity and field conditions to decide whether the rule will go into effect, rather than just the thermometer.
The hottest day ever recorded at Wimbledon remained on 1 July 2015, when the temperature reached 35.7C.
They’re even stretching resources to protect those stuck in the heat in lines and on the ground by giving away hundreds of thousands of free sunscreen samples as part of their partnership with La Roche-Posay.
There is also an on-site pharmacy where you can buy 50 SPF sunscreen for £27.50.
