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NEW YORK – As John Millman left the field in the middle of his match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night to change his clothes, Novak Djokovic removed his soaked shirt, put his hands behind his head and leaned over his chair smiling.
"I'm going to rest a bit," Djokovic said insolently as the crowd screamed in amusement. Millman was so sweaty that he got special permission to change to 2-2 in the second set of his US quarter-final against Djokovic. Breaks like these usually only happen at the end of a set, but Millman actually created a danger – his sweat was focused on the court. He or Djokovic could have slipped.
The American Tennis Federation quickly issued a statement detailing what happened, the 12th statement of the governing body during the first 10 days of the US Open draw. Eight of these statements were about heat, three about undisciplined chair umpires acting out of place, and the other about the excessive sweating of an Australian player.
It was a strange Open of the United States. Bizarre and sweaty.
"Personally, I've never sweated as much as me," Djokovic said Thursday morning after winning his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
"You do not stop sweating, though. You go to that little room right next to the court, and there's a small room, probably three by three, and you're just sinking. Sweating does not stop, "added Millman.
Novak Djokovic pauses when his quarterfinal opponent, John Millman, had to leave the field to change his clothes soaked in sweat. (EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ / AFP / Getty Images)
Since the beginning of the opening of the United States, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has been very hot, with temperatures in the 90s and a humidity of about 50%, which has regularly increased the index heat to more than 100 degrees. On six of the first eleven days of the tournament, the USTA has invoked an extreme heat rule that offers players an additional 10-minute break mid-game.
The hard sun can not forgive the tennis courts' roofless outdoor courts, but the heat is not really the problem inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Even when it's open, the roof offers shade to all but the first game of the day. Moisture is the real problem. Near the playground where players, line judges, ball kids and referees rush, the air is still and thick.
"I do not think it's normal," said John Isner on Tuesday after his quarter-final loss to Juan Martin del Potro. "It has been very hot here, and it can be – I do not think, whatever the humidity on the outer courts or in the city, I think it is amplified on the central court."
He even touched the most elegant player in the men's game.
Summon an image of Roger Federer in action – his hair flapping perfectly, his feet never seeming to touch the ground. However, Federer was so sweated during his loss to Millman earlier this week that some began to wonder if the sponsorship change from Nike to Uniqlo was to blame.
"You know, I've never seen Roger [Federer] sweat, never, "said Isner. "If he's sweating a lot and needs to change clothes, then you know it's pretty wet there."
"I think I felt like I could not get any air," Federer shrugged after his fourth-round defeat. "There was no traffic at all."
Djokovic, who suffered from his share of games played during the day, felt so stifled that he talked about it Wednesday to the chair umpire.
"I asked the chair umpire if he was using a form of ventilation or air conditioning on the side of the court, then he says he's not aware of it , that you know, only what goes through the hallway. Said Djokovic. "I think this tournament needs to tackle it. I mean, whether it's night or day, we do not look there. It's like being in a sauna.
A handful of players, including Federer and Djokovic, have argued that the Arthur Ashe Stadium retractable roof, which is attached to a 5,000-ton steel superstructure built around the stadium, traps moisture on the court. Because the US Open is an outdoor tournament, the USTA keeps the roof as open as possible and closes it only in case of rain. The roof was closed Thursday afternoon, before the women's semifinals later in the evening, in anticipation of thunderstorms.
"I think the roof does not contain any air circulation. I just think this makes it a totally different US Open. In addition, the conditions were perhaps worse this year. You have wet pants, all wet. The bullets are there too. You try to play Everything gets slower when you try to hit the winners, "said Federer.
But even when the roof is open, there is not much airflow. The stadium is equipped with an air conditioning system – a water-cooled ventilation system blows air into the rest areas – but it is difficult to effectively cool the 24,000-seat facility.
Moisture is mostly due to male players, who play the best of the five Grand Slam tournaments, although women with afternoon matches also expressed themselves.
For men, the humidity is 10 or 11 t-shirts to cope with sweat and change shoes on the court, as Dominic Thiem did in his quarter-finals of four hours and 49 minutes against Rafael Nadal. It's hard to run in wet shoes. It is harder to do something in the moisture like that.
"I can only talk about myself," said Djokovic. This is without doubt the most difficult American Opening of the last ten years I played, in terms of conditions. Yeah."
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