Wimbledon close to its hottest day ever as temperatures soar past 34C
It followed a scorching Monday that provisionally broke the record for the hottest opening day, with 29.7C logged at Kew Gardens.
Spectators in the famous Wimbledon queue came prepared – many bringing umbrellas, fans, and wine to cope with the conditions.
Spectators in the queue on day two (Mike Egerton/PA)
Some were spotted napping in the early-morning heat, while others used towels and hats to shield themselves from the sun.
Even straw hats sold out at the Wimbledon shop by early afternoon as fans scrambled for shade in the scorching heat
Anjon Saidy-Khan, 32, told the PA news agency: 'We saw the news – it looks set to be even hotter today so we needed to be prepared.
'If you saw a picture, you'd think it was pouring it down – every other person has a brolly.'
Centre Court hosted seven-time champion Novak Djokovic while world number two Coco Gauff was on Court One, both began their campaigns in sweltering sunshine.
Among the guests braving the heat in the Royal Box were Cate Blanchett, Rebel Wilson and Russell Crowe – the latter remaining suited and booted despite the weather.
Russell Crowe with Britney Theriot in the Royal Box (PA)
Sarah Lancashire wore a white summer dress with a blazer over her shoulders, while Molly-Mae Hague arrived in a camel-coloured shirt dress.
On the court, Dan Evans booked his place in the second round with a straight-sets win over fellow Briton Jay Clarke, setting up a potential showdown with Djokovic.
But there were early exits for Heather Watson, Francesca Jones, Jodie Burrage, George Loffhagen and Johannus Monday, who was backed by around a dozen friends from his hometown of Cottingham, Yorkshire.
One told PA after the match: 'We're so proud of him – he's come here, and done amazingly and done Cottingham proud.'
Jack Draper advanced to the second round after Sebastian Baez retired injured midway through their third set on Court One with Draper two sets up.
Tuesday's action followed dramatic scenes on Monday when play was paused after a woman fainted in the stands during Carlos Alcaraz's match.
The defending champion rushed to help, handing her a bottle of water as medics arrived.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
33 minutes ago
- Times
Gambling firms under pressure to ban users trolling tennis stars
A British tennis player has demanded betting companies take tougher action against users found to be social media trolls as she revealed gamblers pile on the abuse if they lose money on her match. Jodie Burrage said she could not face looking at her phone after losing her first-round Wimbledon match on Tuesday. 'It's tough and today I'm trying not to look at my phone,' she said after losing to Caty McNally, 23, in straight sets. 'It's not easy to deal with, but I do think there could be more being done. 'I think there should be way more accountability if you have an account on any platform. I think it's very simple to have someone's ID connected to their account and that would, I think, quickly stop what people write and make them more accountable.'
Leader Live
42 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Wimbledon ‘looks like bad Photoshop', says ex-top judge as AI replaces humans
Pauline Eyre, 58, from Finchley in north London, officiated at 16 Wimbledons between 1988 and 2003, serving on Centre and Court One during finals and high-profile matches including Goran Ivanisevic vs Andre Agassi and Serena vs Venus Williams. She told the PA news agency she initially supported the idea of AI line-calling – but changed her mind after watching it in action this week. 'When I first heard about it, I wasn't that bothered – I thought it might improve standards,' she said. 'But as I've been watching the matches, I've changed my mind completely. I think it's a terrible shame.' 'It looks like bad Photoshop – like they've removed an essential part of the furniture,' she said. 'Line judges are part of how Wimbledon looks.' She pointed to Jelena Ostapenko's match against Sonay Kartal on Monday, saying: 'Ostapenko turned around after being foot-faulted – whipped round to have a go – and there was nobody there. ' With the crowd noise on big courts, she said the absence of visual confirmation from a person adds to player confusion. 'Players are standing there saying: 'Was that in? Was that out?' You don't get the immediate reaction – the fist pump – because they don't know.' Ms Eyre added: 'The sadness for me is that sport should be about people. 'The best sportspeople are the ones who overcome adversity – pigeons, crowd noise, pressure. 'Line judges were bloody good at what they did. 'They're there for no other reason than to escort players on and off the court. 'They were always dressed like butlers and that's basically what they are now. 'So many of my friends have told me they are watching the tournament this week and just feel a deep sadness.' She said many of her former colleagues feel unacknowledged: 'I don't think Wimbledon fought hard for them. 'They were such a massive part of the tournament – and it doesn't feel like they were valued.' Despite the criticism, she said the tennis remains high quality: 'The sport is still wonderful. 'I've got used to them not being there – but I'm not happy about it.'
Leader Live
43 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Players have not been paid at Wrexham's Championship rivals
The PA news agency understands payments to players were missed again on Monday, and it has now been reported that some intend to terminate their contracts, citing the club being in breach of their obligations. Wednesday, who face Wrexham at The Racecourse in their third Championship fixture of the 2025-26 season on Saturday August 23, are under a three-window fee restriction imposed by the EFL over late payments to players, a sanction the club have appealed against, and are also under a transfer embargo. Owner Dejphon Chansiri is looking to sell the club but in the meantime, players are in limbo and in discussion with their agents and their union, the Professional Footballers' Association, over what may happen next. Molango, a former Wrexham loanee during his playing career, admits it is not an easy situation for anyone. 'We have got a pattern of late payment,' he said. 'The standard contract foresees certain kinds of situations where you can terminate your contract and this is where there is a serious and/or persistent breach. So that's what we'll be looking at. 'We've been in touch with the players. Our role is not to tell them what they need to do, (it is) to give them the tools and say, 'this is what you could do if those criteria are met'. 'Then it is for them to assess what they want to do, because I wouldn't take it for granted that just because certain criteria are met, automatically someone just terminates their contract. There are other considerations. 'We are in touch with them, it's not an easy situation as you can imagine, because ultimately, you know, people need to be paid. 'Particularly for me it's a bit shocking because normally this is stuff you see in other countries I have played in, but not in England. 'So we really want to be strong on that, and this is something that we will not tolerate and we will be very much on top of it. 'It's not a good situation but we hope that somehow there could be a positive resolution to it.'
