Jakub Mensik has labelled the extreme heat at Roland Garros as 'insane' after collapsing on court following his five-set victory over Mariano Navone. The 26th seed required a wheelchair to return to the locker room after suffering full-body cramps at the end of the match.
The Czech player, who won 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (11), said the conditions were dangerous. 'It's insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun,' he said. 'To be there for more than four and a half hours, that's just insane.'
Mensik criticised the strict enforcement of time rules between points, which he said left him unable to cool down. 'Here it's super-strict which I totally respect, but obviously in this heat and in these conditions it's insane,' he added. He received a warning and lost his first serve due to the time violation.
Novak Djokovic also weighed in, urging organisers to use common sense and schedule more matches later in the day during extreme heat. 'Is that ideal to go over midnight? Yeah, it's not. But if you have certain days that you have extreme heat and conditions, then maybe that's something to consider,' he said after his own three-hour-44-minute win over Valentin Royer.
Mensik, however, said he was recovering well and would be ready for his third-round match against Alex de Minaur. 'I have already begun to feel better,' he confirmed.
