Djokovic urges schedule change as players struggle with Tokyo heat

World number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday in Tokyo called for organisers to rethink the Olympic tennis schedule because of the hot and humid conditions in the city.

Djokovic eased to a 6-2 6-2 victory over Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien on Saturday.

But tougher assignments lie between him and a much-coveted gold medal for Serbia, and the weather could yet prove his most difficult opponent.

It is well known that Djokovic struggles with heat and humidity, and he said with a wry smile: “I’m still waiting to meet the player that likes this kind of weather.

“Playing in extreme heat and humidity that is 90 per cent, or God knows how much, is very challenging.

“Obviously it’s the same for everyone and it’s something we’ve known coming into Tokyo, we expected that the conditions were going to be very tough.

“But before you come here and experience that, you don’t really know how difficult it is.

“I felt like there was trapped hot air that was absorbed by the surface. It was tough, and probably tougher for the earlier matches.”

Matches played at ATP and WTA tournaments held in similar conditions often do not start until late afternoon.

But in Tokyo all courts start at 11 a.m, meaning players are competing in the hottest part of the day.

Later starts were actually considered.

But the organisers, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), needed to plan for potential rain or extreme heat breaks, as well as a lack of infrastructure for very late finishes.

A daytime schedule was therefore deemed best.

An ITF spokesperson said: “Player health is paramount and great consideration has been given to the 11 a.m or a later start.

“The decision to retain 11 a.m was made based on data, a nine-day event and to accommodate factors such as local authority restrictions due to COVID-19 and the unpredictability of the weather.

“Extreme conditions will always put pressure on a schedule and make an optimum schedule challenging. Rainfall is as much of an issue as extreme heat. An Extreme Weather Policy is in place.

“Tokyo 2020 competition officials have set procedures to monitor the heat stress index which determine whether play should be modified and have implemented these procedures today.”

Djokovic added: “I don’t really get why ITF doesn’t want to move the matches. This was the last centre court match and it was finished before 5 p.m.

“There is hopefully some kind of an understanding from ITF on what they’ve seen.

“All the athletes train and dream of being at an Olympic Games and then playing for half an hour and retiring, you don’t want to have the Olympic experience that way.

“But we have to accept whatever the circumstances are.”

Zarina Diyas was the only player to withdraw mid-match but many struggled.

Explaining how he felt on court, Djokovic said: “You’re constantly dehydrated, you feel you have weights on your shoulders because there’s so much heat and humidity and stagnated air.”

Djokovic, who is bidding to become the first man to win a Golden Slam of all four major titles and singles gold in the same year, will next take on German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Second seed Daniil Medvedev also found the conditions tough in a 6-4 7-6 (10-8) victory over Alexander Bublik.

Medvedev said: “Like they do in Mexico, the matches maybe should start at six (p.m) because the heat actually gets much, much lighter. We all try to practise at six.

“The fact that we have only one minute between changeovers is a joke. If you ask, let’s say 200 tennis players that are here, I think 195 will tell you that one minute is a joke. It should be 1:30.”

In the women’s draw, sixth seed Iga Swiatek followed in her father’s footsteps by making her Olympic debut with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Mona Barthel.

Tomasz Swiatek competed for Poland in rowing at the Games in Seoul in 1988.

Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens played the last singles match of her career on Saturday, losing 4-6 6-3 4-6 to Marketa Vondrousova.

But there were wins for French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova and ninth seed Belinda Bencic.