September 2, 2010 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Day Three at the 2010 U.S. Open saw record on-court heat, which brought about the implementation of the "extreme weather policy," a policy put in play when the temperature is above 86 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of a match. The policy states that women players can request a 10 min. break between the second and third set (only one player needs to make the request), and the men can take a "medical timeout," for heat-related illness or injury.
Tenth-seeded Victoria Azarenka was one player who unfortunately succumbed to the heat in her second round match. Azarenka fell to the ground down 1-5 in the first set and needed to be put in a wheelchair and was rushed to the hospital for further evaluation. Luckily, the results of the testing were not too bad and Azarenka will be just fine. She was diagnosed with a minor concussion. From a tennis perspective, it is certainly a tough break for Azarenka who had a good chance to make a run at this Open title as the hard court is her best surface and she came in playing well.
“I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint. I fell forward and hit my arm and head," said Azarenka. "I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell.“
