Fans take cover on scorching first day of Wimbledon
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Wimbledon experienced its hottest start on a scorching Monday as temperatures went past 30 degrees Celsius, transforming the All England Club into a sizzling spectacle of sun hats, shade-seekers and fans reaching for water bottles.
The BBC reported that the ground temperature reached 31.4 degrees at around 2 p.m. to eclipse the previous high of 29.3 degrees set in 2001, leaving fans feeling like they were in the Australian Open furnace rather than London.
Monday's conditions could even surpass the tournament record of 35.7 degrees, which was reached in 2015, when the temperature on court was significantly higher than that.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was frequently reaching for an ice-packed towel during his afternoon clash with Fabio Fognini while spectators on Centre Court fanned themselves to ease the oppressive heat.
Wimbledon's heat rule was applied and players were allowed to take 10-minute breaks during matches.
Daniil Medvedev crashed 7-6(2) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2 against the unheralded Benjamin Bonzi and the Russian ninth seed said the conditions had made it hard for both players.
"Physically it was not easy ... I mean, I'll never say he won because of the heat," Medvedev said.
"But the heat is not easy to play. I do think if you ask him, probably he was not enjoying the heat either."
Organisers said they had made sure there was plenty of ice on court, while there were protocols in place for ball kids with all of them protecting their necks with cooling scarves.
"We'll be rotating them more if we feel we need to. For colleagues working around the grounds, we've got plenty of changes in shift patterns to make sure they're getting regular breaks," All England Club Chief Executive Sally Bolton told reporters in the morning.
"For the guests that will be joining us, we're offering the same advice as medical professionals. Come prepared, bring a hat, wear sunscreen, wear light clothing if you can, and take breaks out of the sun."
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