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The Guardian World1 min read
Ruud 'like a zombie' as he feared heatstroke in tough Paris win
TL;DR
Casper Ruud described feeling like a 'zombie' due to extreme heat during his first-round win at the French Open against Roman Safiullin. The temperature reached 33C, leading to cramping and medical timeouts for both players.
Key points
- Casper Ruud felt like a 'zombie' due to extreme heat.
- Temperatures reached 33C during the French Open.
- Ruud experienced cramping and took medical timeouts.
- Safiullin won 11 consecutive games after being down 5-2.
- Both players faced challenges due to the heat.
Mentioned in this story
Casper RuudRoman SafiullinParis
French Open
Casper Ruud said he felt he was almost "walking around like a zombie" at times as he struggled in extreme heat during his first-round win over Roman Safiullin at the French Open.
Temperatures were said to have reached 33C on the first two days of the tournament in Paris, causing uncomfortable conditions for some.
Norwegian Ruud spurned five match points in the third set against Safiullin, by which time he said he had already started to feel cramping in his legs.
He later had medical timeouts and used ice towels and water to try to cool himself during changes of ends.
From 5-2 down in the third set, Russian qualifier Safiullin won 11 consecutive games to force a decider - but he also had injury problems which required treatment towards the end of the fourth set.
Both players left the court for an extended period before the fifth set, after which 15th seed Ruud eventually completed a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 0-6 6-2 victory. The contest lasted three hours and 56 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Ruud, a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, said: "As we know, there's a bit of a heatwave at the moment and that can sometimes cause problems.
"It felt like it was a bit of a kind of heatstroke feeling. I experienced something similar some years ago when I played in Washington DC and I had to retire in the third set because I had that - that's the only time I had that same feeling as I had today in the fourth set where I felt at times really dizzy, really tired and walking around like a zombie almost.
"Luckily, I was 2-1 up still and allowed myself to kind of lower the intensity a bit to get my pulse and body temperature down as much as possible in the fourth to see if there was any chance to finish in the fifth and have some extra energy. Luckily, that ended up working."
Asked if he felt it was a mental victory or physical victory, the 27-year-old said: "It feels like a mental win.
"At times in the fourth [set] I was thinking 'I have to book the flight home tomorrow and I'll be watching from home on the sofa the next two weeks'. Luckily, that's not the case.
"Physically, also, I'm proud because I never really gave in. I didn't give up."
Q&A
What were the temperature conditions during Ruud's match at the French Open?
Temperatures reached 33C on the first two days of the tournament in Paris.
How did Casper Ruud cope with the heat during his match against Roman Safiullin?
Ruud used ice towels and water during changes of ends and took medical timeouts to manage cramping.
What challenges did Roman Safiullin face during his match against Ruud?
Safiullin struggled with injury problems and lost 11 consecutive games after being down 5-2 in the third set.
