Novak Djokovic‘s latest rival? The US weather. As the temperature around New York soared to a blistering 95 F, the Serb looked visibly uncomfortable as he battled against Laslo Djere in the 2024 US Open‘s second-round. After the two Serbian players’ hour long battle—where Djokovic prevailed 6-4—the game’s second set took a toll on the recent Olympic victor.

Exactly 16 minutes and four deuces later, the physio and doctor were called onto the court. The latter appeared to be massaging the player’s rib. Djokovic’s abs and legs were being massaged by the trainer. Notably, the player had slipped on the court a few times, once even on his braced right knee, where he sustained a torn meniscus at the French Open this year. Ice packs and a cooling air tube were also provided to him.

But this is not the first time he has had to battle similar conditions. During his Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic had required medical attention right after the first set possibly due to a heatstroke. He was even seen screaming toward his box, asking for a creatine drink. “We see the physio coming on court, we’ll see what he can do for Novak because Novak looks like he is struggling physically and also the doctor is on court as well so this isn’t a good sign for the Serb, he might give him something to take to manage the temperature. They’re taking his blood pressure right now, that’s how poorly Novak is feeling,” the commentator had lamented at the time. Alcaraz had ultimately lost the match 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4). 

Then early this year in May, we saw the 37-year-old giving a walkover in the QF of the 2024 French Open. Surely, the fans wouldn’t love to see this match ending on a similar note. Well, actually it did end on a similar note, but this time, Djokovic’s opponent retired early owing to an injury.

Laslo Djere was trailing by 4-6, 4-6, 0-2 when he put his hands up after two hours and 16 minutes of play. Earlier in the match, the 29-year-old had taken a medical leave after feeling discomfort in his lower left abdominal area. After the match concluded, the World No.2 appeared dissatisfied. “It’s not what we want. It’s not what the crowd wants, to see a walkover,” he said before appreciating his opponent, by stating, “He’s such a good player, especially in these conditions. It should have been his second set, honestly. He was up 4-2. It was a big fight, over two hours for two sets. I served awful. Without a serve, you have to grind, you have to run. I had to rely on my baseline game.” 

Djere has faced Nole twice in his career so far, and showcased a fair bit of resilience on both of those occasions. However, each time, The Serbinator claimed the upper-hand, with his last win against Djere at last year’s US Open. Prior to that, the two had come face-to-face in Belgrade in 2022, which Djoker won 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4).

On a separate note, not just Novak Djokovic, the scorching heat seemed to affect other competitors too!

“I’m sweating like crazy” – Tennis stars struggle to beat the heat 

Argentinian tennis star, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, spotted vomiting during his match against Francisco Cerundolo. He won the match after a grueling five-setter, but after the match, he revealed how tough it was for him to stay on the courts. “The conditions were very difficult, honestly,” said Etcheverry.

Although he mentioned that he expected things to be a bit difficult at this venue, still the weather was a bit too much for the Argentinian. Especially when it notches up four degrees more when they’re inside the stadium. Overall, according to Etcheverry, “It’s dangerous not only for the players, but also for the public.”

Even American tennis stars struggled to make full use of the home conditions. Madison Keys was heard saying, “I just wanted to get on and get off.” Frances Tiafoe said, “I’m sweating crazy. What was it, 95 degrees outside? Today was crazy,” after his R2 match. Several other tennis stars like Andrey Rublev, Arthur Rinderknech, and Marta Kostyuk were spotted putting on ice towels around their neck and using ice packs on their heads. Iva Jovic and Victoria Azarenka had to call for medical attention during their matches. 

Alexander Zverev said, “I was at some point very, very wet. The whole court was flooded from me.” Clearly, every player is struggling with the heat at NY. Jam-packed stadiums are making things more humid inside the stadium. Do you think the organizers need to look into this matter very seriously now?