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What are the heat rules at Wimbledon?

What are the heat rules at Wimbledon?

BBC News3 days ago
Wimbledon is set to experience record-breaking temperatures on Monday - the start of the 2025 Championships.The opening-day record of 29.3C - set in 2001 - is expected to be beaten.To help keep players safe, Wimbledon has a heat rule for all singles matches when deemed necessary.Wimbledon uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) scale to determine whether the heat rule should be enforced.The WBGT's heat index is a measure which pulls together air temperature, humidity and surface temperature and is measured by a heat stress monitorIf the WBGT is at 30.1C or higher, players will be permitted 10-minute breaks during a match.For those played under roofs, the heat rule is not utilised.
How does the heat rule work?
The heat rule applies to all matches in singles competitions, even if they have already started when the WBGT surpasses 30.1C. Only one player needs to request the permitted 10-minute break for it to be enforced.For best-of-five-set matches - in the men's singles - the 10-minute break will be taken at the end of the third set. In best-of-three-set matches, this is taken at the end of the second set.During breaks, players are allowed to leave the court but are not permitted to receive coaching or medical treatment.WBGT readings at Wimbledon are measured 30 minutes prior to the start of play, at 14:00 BST and at 17:00 BST.Where a match is carried over to the following day with the heat rule in place, it will not apply to a best-of-three-set match that has completed one set. It will also not be applied to any best-of-five-set matches that have completed two sets.Should there be a match in progress during which the heat rule is lifted, it will remain in place until completion of that match.
'A feels-like temperature close to 37C ' - analysis
The temperature at Wimbledon on Monday is expected to reach 33C, and possibly 34C.That will make it easily the hottest opening day to the Championships - exceeding the previous record of 29.3C set in 2001.The hot weather will stick around on Tuesday, with temperatures once again getting into the low 30s.While 33C or 34C is the maximum air temperature, if you add in the humidity, the players and spectators will experience a heat index - or 'feels-like temperature' - closer to 37C.It may even feel hotter on court, where there is more restricted airflow.However, we're not expecting to reach the highest recorded temperature during the Wimbledon fortnight of 35.7C, which was on 1 July 2015.Cooler weather will move in for the rest of the week with some rain expected on Wednesday and maybe the weekend.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
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