Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev have lead calls from players to start play later due to the intense Tokyo heat.
Play started at 11am Tokyo time on Saturday with temperatures reaching 33C and a humidity of 70%.
Many players struggled in the heat as first round singles and doubles action got under way.
Although Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev both won their opening matches, they both also complained about the heat with Djokovic calling for later start to matches, “To be honest I don’t understand why they don’t start matches at say 3 pm,” Djokovic said.
“I heard for tennis there’s some kind of curfew for them to finish by midnight. If that’s the case I just finished the last match. It’s not even 5pm.
“We still have like seven hours to play. They have the lights on all the courts, they’re going to make life much easier for all of us players. I just don’t understand why they don’t move it, I sincerely don’t understand. I doubt that they will change the decision but we’re hoping that they will.”
Meanwhile Daniil Medvedev called the conditions a ‘joke’ and slammed the decision for one minute changeovers, “The fact that we have only one minute between changeovers is a joke,” Medvedev told Reuters.
“I think if you ask, let’s say 200 tennis players that are here, I think 195 will tell you that one minute is a joke and it should be 1:30 like it is in ATP tournaments.”
When asked for comment the ITF defended their decision citing COVID-19 protocols and unpredictable weather patterns, “Player health is paramount and great consideration has been given to the 11am or a later start,” the ITF said in a statement to Reuters.
“The decision to retain 11 am was made based on data, a nine-day event and to accommodate factors such as local authority restrictions due to COVID-19 and the unpredictability of the weather. Extreme conditions will always put pressure on a schedule and make an optimum schedule challenging. Rainfall is as much of an issue as extreme heat.”
Meanwhile Maria Sakkari actually enjoyed the conditions in her win over Anett Kontaveit although she admitted some players will struggle with the heat, “It’s great to play in these conditions,” Sakkari said.
“I grew up playing in the heat. Maybe not that humid, but heat is the way we grew up playing in Greece and I actually embrace that. It’s normal that players react differently, if you put me in minus 20 degrees I would also struggle. It’s different conditions for everyone. I have to say. Many players will struggle with the heat.”
Play continues on Sunday with the heat continuing to test the players ability at the Olympics.
