Will the French Open be suspended if it’s too hot? Rules at Roland Garros as heatwave sees temperatures soar

Players have been feeling the heat at the French Open amid record temperatures, and they look set to continue throughout the week.

The second Grand Slam of the year got underway on Sunday, with temperature soaring to 33 degrees Celsius at Roland-Garros following an unprecedented heat wave in France.

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At least 20 cities have recorded their highest-ever temperatures for the month of May, according to the Météo-France, the country’s national weather service.

This has caused plenty of disruption across the opening days of the French Open, with many struggling to cope with the heat on court.

Players have been wearing bags of ice around their necks during changeovers to stay cool, while fans have used sprinklers.

Canadian Gabriel Diallo named the heat as the main reason he retired midway through his match against James Duckworth on Sunday.

Elsewhere, two-time finalist Casper Ruud said he felt like he was ‘walking around like a zombie’ during his first-round win over Roman Safiullin.

And the heat is showing no sign of going away, with forecasts for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday predicting highs of over 32.2 degrees Celsius.

So, could we eventually see play halted if the conditions become increasingly unbearable for tennis’ biggest stars?

Will the French Open be suspended?

The French Open is usually cool in comparison to the heat at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.

But like in Australia and New York, the French Open has adopted an extreme weather policy.

The French Open’s heat policy uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT).

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Air temperature, humidity and surface temperature are the factors that apply to the heat index, measured by a heat stress monitor.

If the WBGT hits or exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, a ten-minute break can be allowed.

This would apply between the second and third sets for women’s matches and between the third and fourth sets for men’s matches.

Should the WBGT hit 32.2 degrees Celsius, play is suspended, which would also require an air temperature of about 37.7 degrees Celsius.

So far, play has not been delayed or suspended due to the heat at Roland-Garros, but this has happened before at other majors.

In January’s Australian Open, play had to be suspended on outside courts after the tournament’s heat stress scale hit its maximum level of five.

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French Open heatwave: What has been said?

A number of players have shared their thoughts after battling extreme heat in the opening days of the French Open.

Russian-born Australian player Daria Kasatkina overcame Zeynep Sonmez in straight sets in her first-round match, but admitted she struggled to recall similar conditions in Paris.

Kasatkina said: “I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros.

“Maybe one day. But we’re going to have it for the whole week.”

On the physical toll of the heat, she added: “You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped.

“So this is a battle which you have to also win. … Whoever adapts better to today’s conditions gets it.”

Meanwhile, world no.16 Ruud claimed the weather had made him suffer from heatstroke-like symptoms.

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The Norwegian 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.”