Ekaterina Alexandrova’s alarming collapse at the WTA Tour Memphis Classic re-ignited the debate about the heat rules in tennis, with fears that players are being put at risk by being asked to play in searing conditions.
Top seed Alexandrova was trailing 7-6(2), 4-6, 5-4 against 16-year-old compatriot Kristina Liutova in a match where temperatures reached 34C and after a long break at the end of the third set, she resumed the match.
Alexandrova was clearly struggling to serve at the heat overcame her, but she tried to battle on and then collapsed on court before being forced to forfeit the match and hand Liutova a victory.
Liutova was emotional on court as she witnessed the shocking scenes that ended with Alexandrova leaving the court in a wheelchair.
Pressure may now be applied on tennis chiefs to reconsider their heat rules, after a series of indicents in recent years raised concerns over player safety.
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Tennis legend Novak Djokovic spoke out against the heat rules in place at tennis during an extremely hot opening week at the French Open, as the Serbian suggested more common sense needs to be applied.
“Okay so it is true that they have a rule,” said Djokovic. “Which is what? Another index forumula combination type of thing?
“I don’t know, it’s always a discussion, I guess. But then if you close one roof, then all of the others are playing. It’s not fair also.”
He also went on to suggest dealing with heat is part of the challenge of the game, as he questioned decisions to close the roof on the main show court at Roland Garros.
“Why would you close centre court and then everyone else has to be playing on the heat?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t agree with that even though, of course. For me, it would be great if I play on Centre to have that roof closed on such a hot day in Australia we have experienced – I have personally experienced a few times – we have seen in last years that there were some delays of play, like for an hour, two hours, three hours until that upper level bar that crossed the kind of index regulation comes back down. I think that’s fair.
“Honestly, with Grand Slams it shouldn’t be an issue, generally, because we have so many courts. We have lights. You know, there’s no issue. You have big courts. You can play the matches. You can reschedule them some other courts and still have the crowd in the stadium.
“On the other tournaments where you don’t have these kind of facilities and conditions, then that’s a different discussion, obviously.
“We have some tournaments, I think, on ATP Tour where, for example, Umag in Croatia where matches are starting later in the afternoon, you know, 5pm or something, and they play until deep at night.
“Yeah, is that ideal to go over midnight? Yeah, it’s not. But if you have, you know, certain days that you have extreme heat and conditions, then maybe that’s something to consider.”
It remains to be seen whether the Alexandrova will force tennis chiefs to reconsider their heat rules, but it is unlikely any changes will come into force over the next few weeks when temperatures will be soaring in North America.
New ATP Tour heat rules for 2026:
10-Minute Cooling Break
Cooling measures will be implemented when the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) reaches 30.1°C or higher during the first two sets of best-of-three singles matches. When activated, a 10-minute cooling break after the second set may be requested by either player and will apply to both players in singles.
During the break, players may utilise cooling measures, hydrate, change clothing, shower and receive coaching, under the supervision of ATP medical staff.
Suspension of Play
Play will be suspended when the WBGT exceeds 32.2°C.
Player Health and Safety
The new heat rule provides a structured, medically supported approach to managing extreme heat, with the objective of safeguarding player health, while also improving conditions for spectators, officials, ball persons, and tournament staff.
READ MORE: Jannik Sinner claims over heat rules disputed by Jamie Murray: ‘I don’t believe it’
