Despite the soaring temperatures in Paris, there have been very few players wilting in the heat.
Norway’s Casper Ruud was the most notable example, fearing he had suffered heatstroke in a gruelling victory on Monday.
French Open organisers monitor the temperature through two wet bulb sensors – one on Court Philippe Chatrier and one on Court 14.
If the threshold is reached, a 10-minute break may be introduced after the second set of women’s matches and the third set of men’s matches.
If temperatures continue to rise, matches can be suspended until the heat drops.
No French Open match has ever been halted because of the heat.
With the Paris heatwave forecast to last until Saturday, a match would be suspended when the reading on the FFT’s wet bulb thermometers – which assesses air temperature, humidity, sun exposure and wind to calculate the stress effect on the body – reaches 32.2C.
The weather has not been severe enough for the heat policy to be invoked this year, but almost all the players have been using cooling mechanisms during matches.
Australia’s Daria Kasatkina said she found it “very, very tough” physically.
“You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped,” she said.
“This is a battle which you have to also win.”
