Story perspectives

Scorching Heat Forces Mensik Collapse, Dizzy Ruud, Djokovic Warning

5/28/2026

Summary

Mensik Collapses

Jakub Mensik beat Mariano Navone 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13-11) in extreme heat, then collapsed, was taken away in a wheelchair, and called the conditions insane.
Casper Ruud felt dizzy and near heatstroke in his first-round match with Roman Safiullin but recovered to play the second round.
Novak Djokovic defeated Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 in 3 h 44 m, said the heat was challenging and urged later start times.

Summary

Djokovic Calls Postponement

Meteo-France said 352 French towns hit record May highs on Monday, prompting alerts in 31 of 96 departments.
Tournament officials cleared spectators behind Court 7 and had paramedics wheel Jakub Mensik out because of the heat.
Analyst Craig O’Shannessy reported the ball-boy system could not supply towels during changeovers.
Novak Djokovic urged postponement of matches during heat, noting that Elena Rybakina said conditions disrupted ball control and forced ice-bath recovery.

History

Historical Context

After a 40 °C day forced the French Open to suspend play in 2003, the French Tennis Federation and International Tennis Federation introduced a heat-rule that later led the ATP to adopt mandatory cooling breaks. The move aligned with Europe’s 2003 information directive, transposed into French law in 2005, and France’s rise to 2nd in the 2015 Open Data Barometer, highlighting a climate-responsive shift.

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Mensik Collapses

Jakub Mensik beat Mariano Navone 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13-11) in extreme heat, then collapsed, was taken away in a wheelchair, and called the conditions insane.
Casper Ruud felt dizzy and near heatstroke in his first-round match with Roman Safiullin but recovered to play the second round.
Novak Djokovic defeated Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 in 3 h 44 m, said the heat was challenging and urged later start times.

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