US Open star Daniil Medvedev fumes ‘one player is gonna die’ as temperatures reach near-100F on court in worrying scenes
TENNIS star Daniil Medvedev has warned that the extreme heat at the US Open could one day prove to be lethal.
The temperature in New York City approached 100 during the world’s No. 3 quarterfinals win over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
And the extreme conditions visibly bothered the players at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Rublev, 25, could be seen leaning on his racket in exhaustion and breathing heavily during the tennis game.
Medvedev, 27, struggled as well and tried to cool himself by putting cold towels on his head during breaks.
Cameras captured the Russian tennis star complaining about the heat as he wiped the sweat off his forehead at one point.
“One player is going to die – and they’re going to see,” he said.
And worried tennis fans rushed to social media to offer sympathy to both players.
“This was brutal to watch. I can’t imagine what it was like for them on the court,” one wrote.
“They really did both look like they were dying out there,” another added.
“This is so, so dangerous. It’s actually quite scary,” a third said.
After dispatching Rublev in straight sets, Medvedev offered an insight into the challenges he had to overcome on the court.
“It was brutal. The only good thing I see in this condition is that both suffered,” he said.
“The end of the first set, I couldn’t see the ball anymore.
“I just played with sensation, tried to run, tried to go for it, tried to hit the ball. He did the same things sometimes.”
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for New York City until Thursday, September 7, due to the scorching heat and humidity in the area.
“A Heat Advisory is issued when the combination of heat and humidity is expected to make it feel like it is 95 to 99 degrees for two or more consecutive days, or 100 to 104 degrees for any length of time,” per the City of New York.
The 2023 US Open has been particularly testing for tennis stars.
In addition to the unbearable weather, several players got sick during the tournament.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur said she felt like “a zombie” as she battled flu-like symptoms before losing to Qinwen Zheng in the Round of 16.