Barty's brilliantly blunt take on Tokyo heat
As the weather in Tokyo reached the mid-30s, many players have been complaining about being forced to play at the peak of the heat.
But, Aussie tennis star Ash Barty had no qualms about the inclement weather and gave a blunt response when asked for her opinion on the conditions.
“We’re Aussies, mate. We’re alright,” she told News Corp after her and Storm Sanders’ loss in the women’s doubles against Czech pair Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Paula Badosa was taken off the court in a wheelchair after collapsing from heat exhaustion during her quarter-final match against Marketa Vondrousova.
“It was a shame to finish my participation in this way,” Badosa said. “The conditions have been demanding from day one. We tried to adapt as best as possible but today the body has not responded as needed.
“I have suffered a heat stroke as you all have seen and I did not feel ready to continue.”
Russian Daniil Medvedev also struggled with the soaring temperatures during his third round win over Fabio Fognini.
Medvedev took two medical timeouts and asked who would be responsible for his death.
“I can finish the match but I can die,” he told chair umpire Carlos Ramos when asked if he could continue. “If I die, are you going to be responsible?”
Still alive🥵 @Tokyo2020 @Olympics pic.twitter.com/xEJqMGUNsq
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) July 28, 2021
“I just had darkness in my eyes, like between every point I didn’t know what to do to feel better.
“I was bending over and I couldn’t get my breathing together. I was ready to just fall down on the court.”
After complaints from world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and several other plays, organisers have since moved the start of play to 3pm local time to offer players some added protection against the heat.