Play has been suspended at Wimbledon’s qualifying after the tournament’s electronic line calling system failed amid extreme temperatures in Roehampton.
The pre-tournament qualifying matches are held at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, where the thermometer has risen to a stultifying 33 degrees Celsius, with 51 per cent humidity.
Players – including Great Britain’s Oliver Tarvet – were called off the courts just after 12.15pm, with matches resuming at 1.30pm after getting the line calling system is up and running again.
‘We’ve had a very challenging day, as you know, it’s swelteringly hot here, the temperatures are due to rise to about 37 degrees, so there have been a few power issues which has effected the electronic line calling system across the court,’ Annabel Croft confirmed on BBC commentary. ‘But the good news is that they’ve fixed it, and play is due to resume.’
A statement from the All England Club (AELTC), Wimbledon’s organisers confirmed: ‘There was a temporary loss of power to part of our Qualifying venue, which meant that the electronic line calling system could not function. Power has now been restored and play is expected to resume shortly.’
Daily Mail Sport understands that Wimbledon will continue to investigate the issue that caused the outage, with extreme heat thought to be a possible factor.
Serena Williams feels the heat at Wimbledon today – while qualifying was stopped due to the electronic line calling system failing amid the heatwave
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka poses for the cameras on a boiling hot day at Wimbledon
Electronic line calling has been in place since last year’s iteration of the Championships, with Roland-Garros the only Grand Slam to continue using humans as line judges.
But the system showed growing pains in its maiden running, with a number of high-profile gaffes seeing matches disrupted by issues with the use of the technology.
Temperatures in the capital and the south of England are only expected to rise on Wednesday, with Wimbledon qualifying opting not to employ ball kids today for safety reasons, and instead use adult grounds crew.
Tennis’ heat rules – which utilise Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, which measures heat-stress conditions – could yet come into effect as the mercury rises, which sees cooling breaks introduced, and play suspended if the WBGT exceeds 32.2 degrees.
The ATP tour codified new heat rules in December of last year, while the women’s tour have followed heat regulations since 1992.
Although next week’s main tournament is expected to kick off in relatively cooler climes, last month’s French Open saw hotter temperatures set the draw alight as top stars faltered in the adverse conditions.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner was particularly affected just one game from sealing a straight-sets victory against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
The Italian received a medical timeout and off-court treatment but amid dizziness and a significant drop in energy levels, Sinner was sensationally knocked out of Paris in the second round.
Sinner is set to return to court on Wednesday for the first time since stumbling in 32-degree heat, with the Wimbledon champion set to take part in the Giorgi Armani Tennis Classic exhibition event at The Hurlingham Club, just 3.5 miles from Roehampton.
Elsewhere in London, Wimbledon’s biggest stars continue to practice at the All England Club’s Aorangi Park, including Serena Williams and Aryna Sabalenka.
