New York | Medvedev highlights the heat problem

Danill Medvedev revealed he has highlighted the possibility of an on-court player fatality in excessive heat as”we don’t want something to happen” and have regrets.

One player is going to die and we'll see Daniil Medvedev

But he was unsure what steps the authorities could do to reduce the risk.

Mevedev said into a camera while beating fellow Russian Andrey Rublev in searing temperatures to seal a US Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz: “One player is going to die and we’ll see.”

He said after beating Rublev: ” I’m not sure what can we do. You probably cannot stop the tournament for four days because it’s been three, four days that (it) has been brutal like this because then it basically ruins everything. TV. Even the tickets. We could go to three sets when the conditions are like this. Some guys are not going to be happy. You lose the first two sets and the match is done and you’re like them. ‘I wanted to come back!'”

“I’m telling you now because the question is we don’t want something to happen and then say ‘oh my god Medvedev said this couple of years ago’.

“But I don’t have the solution because even if we say let’s play all the matches at night maybe on different stadiums, New York can be really hot and humid. But it’s still better to speak a little bit about it before something happens.”

Medvedev, the 2021 champion and world No.3, and Rublev clearly suffered during their showdown in 35 degree centigrade – a reflection it seems of global warming – despite the roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium being partially closed.

He said: “I could talk a lot, brutal conditions for both of us. I don’t know if it could be seen through the camera, because we are sweating so much and use a lot of towels. I have no skin left on my nose here, and, like, here it’s red, but it’s not because of the sun so it’s not like you’re burned but I have no skin left.

“I just saw Andrey in the locker room and his face is very red, and it’s also not because of the sun so I guess it’s the same. That tells everything, like we left everything out there.

“The thing is that even if it would go further, I think we would still leave even more. Then I don’t think I had anything left but if the match would go on, I would find something more. And the only thing that is a little bit, let’s call it dangerous, is the question how far could we go? Maybe we could go five sets and it would be we would struggle a little bit next day and it would be fine, or we have a person in Wu (China’s Wu Yibing) who fell down (collapsing mid-match in Washington).

“I’m feeling kind of okay now. I’m just pretty exhausted. Let’s say, yeah, do couple of interviews here and there straightaway, and it was tough. I was with an ice towel there. Everything was foggy, like I couldn’t see clearly. Because the match is over, so the adrenaline is not there anymore.

“So I was a little bit shaky. Then I come to the locker room and that’s the toughest part because you kind of want to just sit there for hours. But you know that if you do it, it’s not a good recovery.

“So I sat there for, like, 10, 15 minutes, went and did a quick ice bath. Changed. Went to eat. But had, I don’t know how you call it in English, when sugar blood, sugar levels go up. I started sweating, my head started turning.

“I said to my team please bring me any food. I was sitting there like this sweating like hell even with the AC on, and they brought some food and then I felt better. Yeah, that’s how it is sometimes.”

Rublev, who has lost all nine of his last-eight major matches, added: “I’m not even thinking about my health. I don’t know. At this moment, these moments I’m thinking that I need to fight. Doesn’t matter how, it’s tough. I mean, the sport is not easy. And you need to be ready for everything that can happen.”

Daniil Medvedev cools down during his quarter final match

Defending champion Alcaraz appeared to rub sawdust on his skin to reduce perspiration as he secured his last-four place by overcoming Alexander Zverev.

Brenton Speed, an Australian commentator, remarked as the Spaniard applied it, according to the Daily Mail: “This is interesting, sawdust being utilised here to slow down the sweating going on.”

Former player Todd Woodbridge added with a smile: “You could almost see him going up to the parallel bars at the Olympics.”