Are we going to wait for a tragedy to happen to do something?

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Today, in many places, tennis will make news due to images of a player lying on the ground, unconscious, because of the heat. Some news programs will show images of tennis players struggling with the high temperatures this week at the ATP Cincinnati.

Instead of discussing tennis, the headlines will focus on non-sporting events. Players are allowed to compete at over 32 degrees with very high humidity levels that increase the heat index, all without an established heat rule at the ATP level. Astonishingly, there is no rule addressing extreme heat conditions, unlike the WTA, which has one in its rulebook.

It's curious how tennis differentiates between men and women in this regard. In Grand Slams, male players can take a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets, while female players get it between the second and third sets. Does this imply that men can handle the heat better than women? Why isn't there a single heat rule that applies to all without gender distinction?

Consider that male players are granted a 10-minute break when matches can easily exceed three hours. It's ludicrous. Watching what is happening in Cincinnati, with players visibly drained on the bench, clinging to ice towels to cool down or some collapsing on the ground unconscious, is far from healthy. This should never be associated with elite-level sports.

We should prioritize the players' health. While it may not be feasible to cover every court with a roof in such scorching weather, actions like avoiding matches during the hottest hours of the day or introducing more breaks throughout a match could be implemented.

Why not allow a break at the end of each set? Why wait until the end of the second set? Unlike football or basketball, tennis players cannot be substituted. They endure hours of high-intensity aerobic activity, and if they must play in over 30-degree heat and high humidity, let's grant them more frequent rest opportunities.

During the 2023 US Open, amidst scorching heat, Medvedev spoke out, predicting that someone would "die" one day due to extreme conditions. Let's hope we don't have to witness a tragedy before ATP, WTA, and Grand Slams take action to enforce a more effective heat rule, adequate to prevent occurrences like those in the early days of the Cincinnati tournament.

There should be no gender distinctions in heat rules, no tennis players collapsing on the court, no players struggling to breathe during rallies due to prolonged play without rest.

Temperatures expected to approach 40 degrees in the initial days of this year's US Open present an opportunity to introduce a fair and intelligent heat rule. Let's hope they seize this chance and we don't have to encounter any alarming incidents.
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Vamos a esperar a que suceda alguna desgracia para hacer algo?