Jakub Mensik (on floor) defeated Mariano Navone in a second-round match that extended for four hours and 41 minutes.
Jakub Mensik recounted that his body “just turned off” as he collapsed on the court following a grueling second-round victory amid sweltering conditions at the French Open.
Temperatures soared into the mid-30s Celsius as the heatwave persisted across France.
Mensik, 20, visibly struggled with emotion and cramping, collapsing to the floor after overcoming Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13-11) in a match lasting four hours and 41 minutes.
The Czech player, whose promising young career has been marked by intermittent injuries, exhibited difficulty in movement and required eight match points to secure the win.
Following his collapse, Navone crossed the net to congratulate his opponent and assist him, but Mensik was unable to move.
The 26th seed remained on the court for several minutes while receiving attention from medical personnel, who applied ice packs to his head, neck, and chest to provide relief.
An ice pack was also placed on the floor to serve as a makeshift pillow for Mensik’s head.
Eventually, Mensik was assisted to his feet and managed to walk off the court, only to encounter further difficulties as he approached the locker room.
He was subsequently transported in a wheelchair. However, he later informed the media that he had undergone an ice bath and a recovery session in the gym as part of his preparations for a third-round encounter with eighth seed Alex de Minaur on Friday.
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“When I hit the last winner, the emotions went out and my body just turned off,” Mensik stated.
“It’s insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun, to be there for more than four and a half hours is just insane.
“Even with the breaks, you don’t have that much time. The ball kids can’t bring your towel and during the changeover you have just one minute. Before you sit it’s already 30 seconds and there’s not that much time to cool yourself down.”
Mensik, who competed on one of the outside courts at Roland Garros offering no shade, also expressed dissatisfaction with being penalized for exceeding the time limit between points, resulting in the loss of his first serve on two occasions.
Jakub Mensik received medical attention after his marathon second-round match
In other matches, three-time former champion Novak Djokovic faced Frenchman Valentin Royer on Court Philippe Chatrier, which is equipped with a roof, for three hours and 44 minutes.
The 39-year-old Serb conceded a closely contested third set in a tie-break but rallied to secure a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 victory.
During his post-match press conference, Djokovic suggested that scheduling matches later in the evening at Grand Slam events could be “something to consider” as a potential alternative in anticipation of extreme weather conditions.
French Open organizers monitor temperature levels using two wet bulb sensors—one on Chatrier and another on Court 14.
If a critical threshold is reached, a 10-minute break may be implemented after the second set of women’s matches and the third set of men’s matches.
Should temperatures continue to escalate, matches may be suspended until the heat subsides.
To date, no French Open match has been halted due to extreme heat.
Women’s 15th seed Marta Kostyuk noted that the conditions thus far this week were not as severe as those encountered while competing at the same venue during the 2024 Olympics but added, “It’s still hot, and it’s very dry. I always felt like I need to drink, I want to drink more and more. It was tough.”
On Monday, former finalist Casper Ruud conveyed that he felt like he was “walking around like a zombie” and expressed concerns about potential heat stroke after experiencing cramps in 33C temperatures.
One player who avoided the worst of the conditions on Wednesday was men’s second seed Alexander Zverev, who participated in the night session when temperatures had decreased to approximately 18C.
A runner-up at Roland Garros in 2024, Zverev continued his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title with a commanding performance, defeating Czech player Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 48 minutes.