The Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev confessed that his participation in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been considerably affected by the heat experienced in encounters.
The athlete criticized the organization for not taking measures to solve the high temperatures that athletes suffer during matches, to the point of ensuring that they could die in a match.
It just can not be. A real shame. For example, Medvedev already criticized in his match against Fognini that his match did not stop precisely because of the intense heat it is in # Tokyo 2020 . We will see if the organization takes action on this. pic.twitter.com/lezTfDZFSa https://t.co/mXWHcemvmG
– Javier (@javi_periodista) July 28, 2021
“ I can finish the game, but I can also die. And if I die, will you be responsible? “, said the tennis player to the chair umpire when he asked how he felt.
Although he managed to compete effectively and qualify for the Olympics quarterfinals , Medvedev’s claim has been reiterative.
The same happened to the tennis player Paula Badosa , who had to leave the match due to a heat shock.
Sadness and pain 😢. Our hearts break 💔 when we see Paula Badosa like this.
He had to leave due to a tremendous heat stroke. Get well soon, @ paulabadosa ! 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/iOkheciS68
– Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 28, 2021
After beating the Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini , the Russian assured the press what he experienced during the match: “At the beginning of the match, I noticed that it was difficult for me to breathe. It was as if my diaphragm had been blocked ”.
“ At the end of the second set, I saw black, I felt crushed , close to collapsing on the court ”, denounced the tennis player who will soon face the Spanish Pablo Carreño.
Seriously, the athlete proposed to the organization to postpone the meeting time so as not to suffer so much from the heat wave that occurs during the day.
In the interests of player health and welfare and following extensive consultation, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event matches will begin at 3pm JST from Thursday 29 July # Tokyo 2021 # tennis pic.twitter.com/skqh9ALRIV
– ITF Media (@ITFMedia) July 28, 2021
His claim was heard and then the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that the matches would start four hours later.
“ In the interest of the health and well-being of the players, due to the increasing heat and humidity in Tokyo the matches begin at 15 h 00 since Thursday 28, ”the ITF said in a statement.
You may be interested in:
Brazilian footballers mocked Argentina’s elimination in Tokyo 2020
Daiki Hashimoto: The youngest gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal