UK Heatwave and Wimbledon Qualifying
The UK is experiencing a severe heatwave, with a red weather warning issued by the Met Office for parts of England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures on the grass courts at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton, where Wimbledon qualifying runs from June 22 to June 25, could reach 36°C.
How the Heat Rule Works
To protect players, organisers enforce an Extreme Weather Policy, commonly called the heat rule, covering all stages of the tournament. Officials use a Heat Stress Monitor to measure the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which factors air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and surface heat. The rule activates when WBGT reaches or exceeds 30.1°C.
Climate readings are taken 30 minutes before play begins, at 2:00pm, and at 5:00pm. Once triggered, players receive a mandatory 10-minute break. For best-of-three-set matches, the break is between the second and third sets; for men's best-of-five finals qualifying, it is between the third and fourth sets.
Rules During the Break
Players may change clothes or use the restroom, but medical treatment and coaching are forbidden. Only one player needs to request the pause for both to receive it. However, the break cannot be taken immediately; if the threshold is crossed mid-match, players must continue until the designated set break.
The policy does not apply to matches under a closed roof, which mainly affects main draw play at the All England Club. If a match is suspended and resumed the next day under a heat rule, the 10-minute break is not granted if one set (best-of-3) or two sets (best-of-5) have already been completed. Toilet breaks during the 10-minute pause do not count against the player's limited allocation.
If conditions become dangerously unplayable, the tournament referee can suspend play entirely until the index drops.
