Emma Raducanu declares she's ready to EMBRACE the UK heatwave - with temperatures at Wimbledon soaring to 34 degrees Celsius on Melting Monday
Emma Raducanu insists she's ready to handle the heatwave as Wimbledon braces itself for its hottest-ever opening day.
Temperatures are predicted to soar to 34 degrees on Monday, smashing the previous record for the hottest start to the tournament of 29.3C in 2001.
'I'm ready to embrace it,' declared Raducanu, who faces fellow Brit Mingge Xu third on No1 Court on Melting Monday.
'I feel like the heat in the UK is extra hot. Even when the number says a certain level, it feels hotter always. I'm prepared. I'm going to stay hydrated, do all the right things and hopefully I'll be okay.'
Forecasters predict the high humidity could make conditions at Wimbledon feel as hot as 37 degrees with orange weather warnings issued for parts of the UK, including London.
The hottest day during an entire Wimbledon was on July 1 2015 when thermometers reached 35.7C.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz revealed he will wear special patches that analyse his sweat so he knows how much water he needs to drink to cope with the sweltering conditions.
'I always say the details makes difference,' said Alcaraz, who could become only the fifth men's player to win three successive Wimbledon titles.
'Next week it's going to be pretty hot so I think it's going to be great to know what if I should take more water or whatever.'
Wimbledon organisers will provide more water refill stations for spectators around the grounds as part of their extra measures to deal with the sweltering temperatures.
Weather alerts will be announced on the big screens while medical teams will be on hand to assist if anyone feels the effects of the heat.
Wimbledon's heat rule will also come into force, which allows the players to break from play and leave court during matches.
British No 2 Katie Boulter, like Raducanu, is looking forward to soaking up the sun when she faces off against Spaniard Paula Badosa second on Centre Court on Monday.
'I enjoy the heat, so I won't complain' said Boulter. 'Paula's more used to it than me, she's got one up there! I think everyone is a little bit surprised as to how long the heat has been here for. I'm really enjoying it. I do need some more AC in my house but aside from that. I like playing in the heat, when it's hot it's usually a bit quicker.'
Former semi-finalist Cameron Norrie, who faces Roberto Bautista Agut on Court 18 on Monday, said: 'I'm going to have to get a lot of match shirts ready! There's going to be a lot of long rallies and playing second match in the hottest part of the day – so they've definitely thrown me out there!'
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