This is a completely new fact in France and extremely rare in the padel world: the matches were interrupted in Paris this Friday afternoon at Roland-Garros, due to extreme heat.

Around 15:30 p.m., when the temperature reached 35 degrees at the Porte d'Auteuil shade, the organizers of the Greenweez Paris Major deemed it wiser to suspend the match taking place on track 7 for two hours. Unlike the central one, there is no roof on the annex courts and playing in direct sunlight was dangerous for the health of the players: Jon Sanz and Coki Nieto on one side, Javi Leal and José Diestro on the other.

In addition to the players, spectators are also exposed and likely to feel unwell in such conditions.

The roof of the central office fully closed

On the Chatrier court, the referee waited a few minutes for the second set to end in favor of Tapia and Coello. It was then decided to interrupt their match against Bergamini and Ruiz for around ten minutes, the time to completely close the roof of the central court.

In addition to the heat, the sun placed in the axis of the field considerably disturbed the players, in particular Tapia and Coello. The latter called on the trainer around 15 p.m., at the start of the second set. He confided at the end of the match that he felt unwell, with a body temperature of around 38,5° and a drop in blood pressure.

The break then the change in playing conditions allowed Coello and Tapia to reverse the trend and win in three sets. During the post-match interview Coello apologized for having called the trainer, explaining that he had a fever. He thanked his partner and his team for supporting him in these difficult times and was delighted to reach this milestone and reach the semi-finals. “We are a real team,” commented Tapia. When one of us stumbles, the other is there to help him get up.”

The Rome Major disrupted this year

The stopping of matches due to heat is a very rare event in the padel : even in Spain and away, we do not remember matches interrupted due to heat. Last year in Toulouse, where it was 38 degrees during the Human Padel Open, the matches were played indoors, therefore in the shade. We asked players about the extreme temperatures, hot or cold, in which they had played. Find this article right here:

WPT Human Padel Tower – From -10 to +45 degrees: extreme players

In Italy this year, the heat had already disrupted the matches of the Rome Major last July, on the outdoor courts of the Foro Italico. The very high temperatures had pushed the organizers to start the matches earlier in the morning and later in the evening, avoiding the hottest hours between 13 and 17 p.m.…

With the Parisian weather expected to be as scorching as ever in the coming days, the tournament management may have to modify its initial schedule. The professionals of padel are high-level athletes, but they are also humans and they are not foolproof.

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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