Extreme heat could become an issue at Wimbledon (Image: Getty)
Everything you need to know about Wimbledon’s heat rule
- A summer scorcher: A massive heatwave is currently gripping the UK, bringing unusually intense summer weather. A red weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for parts of England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday. Amidst these soaring temperatures, highly anticipated Wimbledon qualifying matches are officially getting underway in London.
- High temperatures in Roehampton: The qualifying tournament runs from Monday, June 22, through Thursday, June 25 at the Community Sport Centre, Roehampton. Forecasters predict that temperatures on the grass courts could rocket to a gruelling 36 degrees.
- Facing the extreme conditions: Playing intensive professional tennis in this level of humidity and heat presents a serious physical danger to the competitors. What exactly happens if the courts become dangerously hot and the conditions become unbearable?
- The official policy: To protect player safety, tournament organisers rely on a specific Extreme Weather Policy commonly known as the heat rule. This rule applies to all stages of the competition, meaning the qualifying matches this week are fully covered, as well as the main draw next week.
- Measuring heat stress: Officials do not rely solely on a standard thermometer to decide whether it is too hot to play safely. Instead, they utilise a specialised Heat Stress Monitor to determine the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index on the courts.
- The critical threshold: The index factors air temperature, humidity, wind speed and surface heat into a single comprehensive reading. The official heat rule is formally triggered when this complex climate reading reaches or exceeds 30.1 degrees.
- Keeping regular tabs: To ensure constant safety, official climate data readings are scheduled at three specific intervals throughout the day. The referee’s team checks the conditions 30 minutes before play begins, at 2:00pm and finally at 5:00pm.
- A much-needed break: Once the policy is active, players are granted a mandatory 10-minute break to escape the gruelling conditions. This cooling-off period can be implemented mid-match if the heat stress index spikes unexpectedly during play.
- Timing the pause: For standard best-of-three-set matches, the 10-minute break is taken directly between the second and third sets. For the men’s best-of-five-set final qualifying round, the relief pause occurs between the third and fourth sets.
- Rules during the rest: Players are allowed to change their sweat-soaked clothes or use the restroom, but medical treatment and coaching are strictly forbidden. Furthermore, only one player needs to request the pause for the break to be given to both competitors.
- Slight nuance: The 10-minute break itself cannot be taken immediately. If the heat index crosses 30.1 degrees while a match is in progress, the players are notified, but they must continue playing until they reach the designated set break to actually take their 10 minutes. They cannot walk off the court mid-set or during a standard changeover.
- The ‘no roof’ exception: The extreme heat policy strictly also does not apply to matches played under a closed roof. While this doesn’t affect the qualifying rounds at Roehampton, which have only open grass courts, it is a major component of the rule once play moves to the main All England Club courts.
- Carry-over rule: If a match is suspended due to darkness or rain and carried over to the next day when a heat rule is active, the 10-minute break will not be granted if the match has already completed one set for best-of-3 or two sets for best-of-5.
- Toilet breaks: If a player uses the restroom during this 10-minute heat break, it does not count against their standard, limited allocation of official match toilet breaks.
- Beyond the 10-Minute break: Lastly, should conditions deteriorate to an absolutely unplayable or dangerous level far beyond the trigger point, the tournament referee reserves the right to suspend play entirely until the index drops.
- READ MORE: Serena Williams forced to evacuate hotel in middle of night days before Wimbledon return