WATCH: Cincinnati Open Heat Forces Ex-US Open Champion Into Bizarre Mid-Match Tactics

“I’m not a huge fan of this surface. I just hope to play good tennis and get as far as possible,” admitted Alexander Zverev, unimpressed by Ohio’s revamped courts, now boasting 13 new additions. But court preference isn’t the only talking point; this year, the Cincinnati Heat has become a merciless opponent of its own. British ace Cameron Norrie looked visibly unwell before bowing out in a second-round defeat to veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, a stark reminder of the brutal conditions. And in the thick of it all, former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev found himself forced into bizarre mid-match tactics just to survive the scorching battlefield.

In his Cincinnati opener, Daniil Medvedev lit up the first set, taking the tie-break without conceding a point and blasting 41 winners, including 18 aces. Yet, the momentum flipped as he fell 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-1 to World No. 85,  Adam Walton. Once a lover of the US summer swing, the former champion, who previously thrived in Canada and Cincinnati, has now managed just one win across the two ATP Masters 1000 events this year.

But it wasn’t the loss alone that stole the spotlight. Under Ohio’s scorching sun, Medvedev’s unorthodox mid-match tactics to battle the heat became the real talking point, a vivid sign of how unforgiving conditions have turned player endurance into its own high-stakes contest.

In a clip shared by Olly Tennis on X, the third set told its own story. Medvedev, visibly wilting under Cincinnati’s furnace-like heat, leaned into the ice fridge at a changeover, searching for relief. Another moment showed him draping a towel over his head, sipping water with relentless frequency, and positioning the cooling fan directly at himself, the heat radiating off every frame. Tennis TV’s X handle captured the scene with perfect irony, captioning it, “Chillin 😎.” It was a battle not just against an opponent, but against the elements, where survival demanded as much creativity as it did sheer endurance.

(More to come…)