US press slams UK, Bernard Tomic over Wimbledon weather reaction

THE US press has ripped into Bernard Tomic for his second-round sook as the rest of the players got on with the job.

Bernard Tomic of Australia wipes his face during the men's singles first round match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday July 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

A BALL boy collapsed and fans took cover as Wimbledon sweltered on the hottest day ever recorded at the championships.

The suncream was slapped on and fans formed long queues at the water fountains as they tried to beat the heat in sweaty southwest London.

Britain’s Met Office national weather service said a temperature of 35.7C was recorded at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew — its nearest station to the All England Club.

That topped the previous record of 34.6C set nearly four decades ago in 1976.

The heat got the better of one Wimbledon ball boy, who was stretchered off Court 17 after passing out.

He was sent to hospital for a precautionary check-up and after treatment was “feeling much better”, the All England Club said.

“We wish him a speedy recovery.”

It was a long line up for water.

The first aid charity St John Ambulance said it had treated 170 people with five taken to hospital — the majority suffering from heat-related conditions.

Spectators sheltered under umbrellas while others folded up newspapers into hats to keep the sun off.

Some draped towels on their heads or used hand fans, while others formed lengthy queues to buy ice creams and refill their water bottles.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki handed out iced coffee to sun-baked spectators queueing to get in the grounds.

TOMIC WAS ‘DIZZY’

Bernard Tomic was one of only a handful of players to complain.

The Centre Court sliding roof was closed before play to protect the grass surface from the heat, but was reopened before defending champion Novak Djokovic got play under way.

Wimbledon officials only close the folding roof during play for rain or bad light.

Centre Court was evacuated after the close of play due to a fire alert, though there was no immediate obvious indication of a blaze.

Out on Court 18, France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert sat with an ice-filled towel around his shoulders during a break in his match with Bernard Tomic, who was feeling hot and bothered.

“I was fatigued and starting to get dizzy out there with the heat hitting me,” said Tomic, who needed a medical time-out to get through the match.

“I just haven’t been sleeping well here. It’s been too hot.

“It was tough, so I had to slow things down. I had to catch my breath. It was not that easy, that situation for me in the second. I was feeling bad.”

Tomic was one of only a handful of players to complain, and For the Win’s Chris Chase took aim at the Australian.

“[Tomic] would complain about ice cream and puppy dogs if asked,” Chase wrote.

“Almost every player was asked about the heat in press and most had the same type of response: ‘Uh, yeah, it was a little hot.’ The insinuation being that it can be far hotter at the Australian Open in Melbourne, during the North American hard-court season in July, August and September and even in the winters of Dubai and Abu Dhabi during that January swing.”

‘BRITS CAN’T HANDLE THE HEAT’

A woman in the crowd on Centre Court.

Chase also hit out at the British public and press.

“I have a new theory about the Revolutionary War. We didn’t win because of George Washington or the British wearing red coats or our guerrilla-type warfare or Nathanael Greene or George Clinton (yeah, that’s right) or anything the tyrant King George did back across the pond.

“If Wednesday at Wimbledon was any indication, we won because the Brits just can’t take the heat.

“Man up, UK.”

Most players said they were used to such weather on the world tour and at their training bases.

“It’s much warmer in my hometown,” said Florida-based former champion Maria Sharapova.

“It’s way worse in Florida,” America’s John Isner confirmed.

A heat rule, which allows for a 10-minute break between the second and final sets of women’s matches, can be used when temperatures rise above 30.1C.

However, no such rule exists on the ATP men’s tour, even though they have to slug it out over the best of five sets at grand slam events like Wimbledon — something tennis legend John McEnroe on ESPN called “reverse sexism”.

Tomic also questioned the rule.

“I was actually talking about that in the locker room. It’s a bit interesting how the women have a different rule applied to them with the heat,” he said.

“I think ours is slightly different. I think we are allowed to play in more heat. Is it fair or not? Who am I to say? I don’t know. It’s a tough one.”

An ATP spokesman said there was not “sufficient support or consensus for a specific heat rule”.

CENTRE COURT EVACUATED

Wimbledon is evacuated after a fire alarm during day three.

Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court was evacuated after the close of play as firemen and police responded to a fire alarm.

An AFP photographer at the scene saw smoke coming from near a dining terrace.

Police vans and fire engines were in attendance, and firemen in full breathing apparatus were seen going past the well-known Fred Perry statue to the east of the 15,000-capacity arena as security staff also rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers.

London Fire Brigade said they had been called to the historic tennis venue, but did not give details, while London’s Metropolitan Police said they were also on hand, and that the incident was “not suspicious”.

A spokesman for Wimbledon told AFP: “At about 9:15pm (2015 GMT), the fire alarm went off. We had unconfirmed reports of an electrical fault.

“The fire brigade was called and an evacuation was carried out in accordance with our standard operating procedures.

“Play had finished I think at about 8:00pm, so it was long after play had finished. So hopefully, if it was in a restaurant, which it possibly might have been, it would have been clear of the public.

“Since then we are waiting for further news. Until we carry out a full investigation we cannot say any more,” he added.

The spokesman there were no reports of injuries.