Will Ferrell tells players to drink hot soup as they swelter at Australian Open

Overheating: Gael Monfils said he was “dying on court”
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Paul Newman18 January 2018

Novak Djokovic described the heat as “brutal” and his beaten opponent, Gael Monfils, said he had never played in such tough conditions as the players sweltered in temperatures that peaked at just under 40C here today.

“I was dying on the court for 40 minutes,” Monfils said after losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to the former world No1. “It was tough to breathe. I think it was the hardest [conditions] I have played in. No matter how much you train in the heat, no matter how much you like the heat, it’s very tough.”

Monfils repeatedly asked the umpire to abandon the 25-seconds-between-points rule. “I got super-dizzy,” the Frenchman said. “I tried to cool down, but even with ice towel and water, I think my body was super-warm.”

Djokovic thought the conditions were “right at the limit” in terms of being a danger to health. “It was brutal,” he said. “It was about just hanging in there.”

The temperature is expected to climb to 42C tomorrow, but the tournament’s heat rule, under which matches are suspended, is unlikely to be invoked because the humidity is predicted to be low.

Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, beaten 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 by Lauren Davis, said she could not think straight during her match. “I was just trying to survive,” she said. “I feel more for the spectators. There are a lot of elderly people who like to watch the tennis, there are kids, there are people who have health issues.”

However, comic actor Will Ferrell who has been at the tournament this week, had a different view. “Everyone says hydrate,” he told a press conference. “I don’t. I don’t drink any fluids except that I drink a lot of clam chowder. Hot, thick soups. That’s the way to go. And hot milk.”

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