Wimbledon match halted for medical emergency as umpire makes announcement | Tennis | Sport
An umpire had to halt the Wimbledon fourth-round match between Alex De Minaur and Flavio Cobolli due to a spectator fainting in the No.1 Court crowd. They picked up their phone at 15-15 in the sixth game of the second set and said: “Hello, we have a person in the stands fainting. She’s conscious but needs medical attendance.”
That pause came barely half an hour after another brief stoppage because of another fan falling ill in the high temperatures on Monday afternoon. In the first instance, Cobolli was on hand to bring over a bottle of water to the woman receiving attention, who was able to get to her feet while being helped out of the stadium by stewards.
Commentating over the first halt for BBC television, James Burridge said: “It is very hot inside No.1 Court today and there’s a disruption just behind the umpires’ chair.” His fellow broadcaster added: “We’ve got a fan who is feeling quite unwell. They’re just going to take a moment to try to get her out of the stadium. She’s up on her feet.”
Burridge added: “A lovely touch from Cobolli, who took a bottle of water over there to make sure that she was OK. It is extremely hot. Temperatures in the early 30s and they are building this week. The stewards do a fabulous job here at the Championships.”
In the second instance, Woodbridge said: “Unfortunately the heat is taking effect on a few of our spectators once again.”
The first match on Centre Court between Alexandra Eala and Jasmine Paolini was also affected by another medical emergency. Naomi Cavaday told viewers on BBC One: “I think we’re just going to have a delay in play here. Looks like somebody is unwell in the sunny patch of the stands. There’s just a couple of umbrellas going up. It does look like somebody needs some medical assistance over there, so players will just keep themselves loose.
“Look, it’s the warmest day that we’ve had of the tournament so far. Temperatures have been climbing through the weekend. We will get up to and above 30 degrees here, so slightly difficult for some of the spectators, I’m sure. It’s going to be a factor for the players as well, nothing that they haven’t managed before.
“Definitely, if you are sat in the beating sun, it’s not easy. Going to try and get this person out of the ground so they can get the attention that they need in a cooler, shaded area. Hopefully, in some air conditioning. Fingers crossed they feel much better a little later on.”
