America’s Jack Sock fainted in 33-degree heat and was carried off court at the US Open as the nunber of men quitting hit a Grand Slam record 12.
The 22-year-old Sock was leading Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 1-2 when he started cramping and was forced to retire.
Sock, the 28th seed, then collapsed on the court, where he was treated with ice packs and cold towels by US Open medical staff before being helped off to the shade of the Grandstand Court.
He became the 11th man to retire from a match at this year’s tournament, which has been played in 30-plus heat every day.
Just hours later, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan became the 12th when he also called it quits on Court Seven against Austrian 20th seed Dominic Thiem, who was 6-4, 6-4, 1-0 up at the time.
Two women also retired in the first round, taking the total for this year’s US Open to 14.
However, Roger Federer insists there are no excuses for players wilting in the US Open heat in this manner.
“We’ve been here in North America for some time. It’s not like, all of a sudden, hot. I mean, it was more on the warmer side, but it’s not like impossible, to be quite honest. Really no excuse for that,” said the 34-year-old.
“I think everybody should be well-prepared. I know we don’t play many best-of-five-set matches all the time, so of course the body can react funny once you exceed the two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours of play.
“Maybe some guys already came in too tired, whatever it was. I think you have to analyse case by case. But I think other players should be so fit that heat really shouldn’t matter at that point, the ones we’ve been playing in.”
The carnage of players retiring led again to suggestions that the men, who play the best of five sets, should be accorded the same protection as women players.
The WTA allows a 10-minute break between the second and third sets of women’s matches when the mercury bursts through 30.1 degrees.
Third seed Andy Murray, who battled through five sets to beat France’s Adrian Mannarino on Thursday, believes there is scope for men to have a similar time-out.
“When it’s extremely hot and humid, it helps to have that break,” said Andy Murray of the 10-minute rest that women players take between the second and third sets when the temperature goes above 30.1 degrees.
“I don’t know exactly what it’s for. But I guess you get the chance to sort of go off and change, get under a cold shower if you want to.”
Sock later said he had recovered and was looking ahead to playing in the Davis Cup play-off tie against Uzbekistan in Tashkent later this month.
.. while too cold inside
Sara Errani figures she knows the real culprit for the dizziness, sore throat and general weakness that nearly cost her a match at the U.S. Open on Thursday: air conditioning.
Yes, that’s right. The 16th-seeded Italian, who has been the runner-up at the French Open and a semifinalist at the U.S. Open, said the AC has been turned up too high in the locker room at Flushing Meadows.
And in the main interview room in the tournament’s media center. At her hotel, too.
“In Europe, there’s not this much air conditioning. Here, you exaggerate a bit,” Errani said at her post-match news conference, wearing a thick, gray hoodie with the zipper pulled all the way up to her chin.
“Too much back and forth with the temperature,” she lamented. “You go outside, it’s hot. You come inside, it’s cold. Every time.”
And Errani’s not alone.
“I see a lot of players in the locker room who are struggling with the cold,” said Andrea Petkovic, a German seeded 18th who won in straight sets Thursday to reach the third round.
“Especially when it’s so humid outside, I get it — they want to protect the people who are inside all day and keep them from sweating. But the problem for us is that we sweat a lot when it’s humid, and then you come inside and it’s really cold.”