Djokovic says ”It feels like sauna”

The Serbian tennis ace, Novak Djokovic called off his 2017 due to his elbow injury. In 2018 he bounced back on the tennis courts by clinching all the titles beginning from where he left the last year. The Serb meticulously worked upon his shortcoming and made some smart moves to give an escalating performance on the ATP circuit. After his winning his third US Open crown, Djokovic speaks about his experiences while playing at the Flushing Meadows. He claimed it to be his toughest US Open journey in the past ten years. Most of the times he was playing during the daytime but in his quarterfinal clash against John Millman, he faced a night session.

It was hot and humid at the Flushing Meadows, for numerous players the arena felt like a microwave. The increasing temperatures and the humidity tested the patience of numerous tennis professionals. Many players happen to retire in their first-round matches as they were feeling claustrophobic. The Arthur Ashe Stadium had poor ventilation no circulation of the air at all. Playing directly underneath the sun, Djokovic cannot adapt to airlessness circumstances was affected badly. The doctor stepped on to the court and gave him a pill, predominantly to vanquish his nausea.

Djokovic claimed to get 10 t-shirts in his tennis kit for a match at the US Open. And he changes his t-shirt in every alternative game. “I think that this tournament needs to address this. Because whether it’s night or day, we just don’t have air down there. It feels like sauna.” Said Djokovic. “I don’t know what to add to that. Obviously, the roof is fantastic to have the roof.”

Djokovic also had a quarrel with the chair umpire regarding the same and asked him, “whether they are using some form of ventilation or air conditioning down at the court level side, and then he says that he’s not aware of it, that only what comes through the hallway type of thing.”

The 2011 US Open champion, Samantha Stosur from Australia said, “Everyone always talks about how hot Melbourne,” said Stosur. “They say ‘Oh my god, it’s so bad and everything.’ But the US Open’s way worse than Melbourne.  There are more retirements here but for some reason, we get the bad rap in Australia.”