Wuhan Open plunged into chaos due to extreme heat after players lodge complaints | Tennis | Sport
Players were forced to wait to take to the court at the Wuhan Open after extreme weather conditions delayed the start of play. The event’s organisers had originally postponed the start of play on the outside courts to 1pm local time, but that was later pushed back to 2pm instead.
However, it wasn’t until closer to 3pm that the players eventually took to the court, as temperatures reached around 36 degrees Celsius, with the humidity hovering at close to 60 per cent.
The extreme conditions is something the players have raised, with Bianca Andreescu writing on social media: “Wuhan weather really said: ‘Go play tennis in a sauna.” The Canadian has been competing in both the singles and doubles events in China, meanwhile several of her competitors have visibly struggled with the heat.
Emma Raducanu and Jelena Ostapenko both retired amid the hot and humid conditions, and while it’s unknown if the heat was the sole reason behind their withdrawal, it’s difficult to imagine it not playing a factor.
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