The second-round match at Roland Garros took place amid searing heat
Paramedics were called to a second-round match at the French Open on Wednesday after a player collapsed amid “insane” temperatures.
Czech star Jakub Mensik went down after winning an epic five-set encounter against Mariano Navone under the Roland Garros sun, and required a wheelchair when leaving the court.
Mensik had been playing for four hours and 41 minutes, and dropped to the clay with severe cramp immediately after hitting the deciding point in a mammoth fifth-set tie-break that would ultimately hand him a 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6 victory.
He could actually be seen clutching his thigh while serving for the winning point, but managed to get a decisive forehand away before going down.
Paramedics could be seen rushing to his aid to bring ice packs, which Mensik used as a pillow as he lay on the dirt.
Navone, clearly concerned, went over to check his opponent was okay before shaking hands, with Mensik up on his feet again five minutes later.
John McEnroe, on commentary duties could be heard saying: “Help him out. That is… Boy, oh boy.
“Somebody’s got to help him out,” he added.
“The match is over. Come on! Help this guy!”
Mensik, clearly still struggling, was then helped into a wheelchair, with an ice pack placed on his head as he eventually left the court.
“It’s insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun,” Mensik said afterwards.
“To be there for more than four-and-a-half hours, that’s just insane. Even with the breaks, you don’t have that much time.
“When I hit the last point, the last winner, the emotions went out and my body just turned off. I was not able to do anything.
“The ending says it all, but I’m just happy that I kept fighting.”
Players and spectators have had to contend with stifling conditions all week in Paris.
Temperatures have consistently hit the mid-30s, and some players have called on authorities to take action.
Novak Djokovic believes the French Open and other Grand Slams need to implement rules similar to those used at the Australian Open, where play is suspended on outside courts when temperatures reach a certain level.
Playing late at night, he says, could be a potential solution.
“Honestly, with Grand Slams it shouldn’t be an issue because we have so many courts,” he said. “We have lights. You have big courts. You can play the matches. You can reschedule them some to other courts and still have the crowd in the stadium and everything.
“Is it ideal to go over midnight? It’s not. But if you have certain days that you have extreme heat and conditions, then maybe that’s something to consider.”
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