As Eala debuts, Wimbledon braces for record temperatures
LONDON—Alex Eala can expect a really hot welcome at Wimbledon.
The tournament was preparing for the possibility of record-breaking Day 1 heat as the oldest Grand Slam tournament got started on Monday.
The temperature shortly before play was scheduled to begin in the first matches at 11 a.m. local time was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius)—not yet quite reaching the 85 F (29.3 C) measured during the first day of the 2001 fortnight.
“I’ll spend the whole day going from one shady spot to another,” said Sally Bolton, the chief executive officer of the All England Club.
“Obviously, it’s a very warm day. The first obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the tour,” Bolton said. “For us Brits here at The Championships, it feels very hot.”
Eala battles defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in her Wimbledon main draw debut on Tuesday (Manila time) in London.
Eala made history by becoming the first Filipino to reach a WTA final when she finished runner-up in the recent Eastbourne Open.
“I guess that’s also why I’m so emotional but you know, this is the first. I’ll work hard to do more. Wimbledon’s next week so, hopefully, I forget about this match soon enough,” Eala said.
Eala, making her second women’s Grand Slam debut this year, was drawn against the World No. 17 Krejcikova.
“To be honest, I don’t really know that much about her yet because she’s obviously a young player, an upcoming player, and one of the players of the new generation,” Krejcikova said.
“I know that she was doing quite well at the first half of the year. It’s going to be a great matchup. I’m looking forward to see where the young generation is.”
The average daytime temperature in London in June is 71 degrees Fahrenheit (21.5 degrees Celsius), although the government’s official weather office said this spring was “the UK’s warmest and sunniest” since that’s been tracked.
Wimbledon, like other tennis tournaments, monitors air temperature, surface temperature and humidity for a heat-stress reading that, if it exceeds 30.1 C (about 86 F), allows for 10-minute breaks between the second and third sets of women’s matches or between the third and fourth sets of men’s matches.
Among other precautions being taken Monday, Bolton said, were having more ice on court available for players to use to cool off, rotating ball girls and boys more frequently “if we feel we need to,” and giving regular breaks to workers around the grounds.
As for fans, Bolton said, “We’re offering the same advice as lots of the medical professionals: Come prepared. Bring a hat. Wear sunscreen. Wear light clothing if you can. Take breaks out of the sun. We’ve got over 100 water points around the grounds, so definitely stay hydrated. And keep an eye on your friends and others around you. If people look like they’re suffering a little bit from heat stress, we’ve got a really significantly sized medical team here.”
