The summer in the UK rarely finds a middle ground. It is either torrential rain or scorching heat. And this time, the soaring temperatures, which go above 104°F, have shifted the spotlight from the weather to the courts, as the relentless heat disrupted SW19 qualifying and brought play to an unexpected halt.

Play at SW19 qualifying in Roehampton came to a sudden halt on Wednesday as extreme heat swept across the UK during a rare red weather warning. The interruption happened while both ATP and WTA players were already battling difficult conditions on the court.

The ELC system stopped working at around 12:15 pm local time during the match between the 36-year-old Briton Dan Evans and Tristan Schoolkate. The tournament officials were left with no choice but to suspend play while they looked into the problem.

The organisers of the Championships later announced that matches would not restart before 1:15 p.m. local time. Players were also told to leave the courts as the officials worked to fix the issue.

The temperature in London climbed above 93.2°F on Wednesday as the ongoing UK heatwave continued to intensify throughout the region. 

BBC presenter and former WTA ace Annabel Croft described what was happening around the venue while notifying the spectators about the sudden halt. “Well, play has been suspended here. It is quite an unusual situation as the heat is wreaking havoc with the electronic line calling system all around the ground,” she added.

Even BBC commentator Andrew Castle also reacted to the conditions. “We don’t need to be told to drink, quite frankly. It is seriously hot,” he said.

The Championships have already prepared for such situations by introducing a new heat rule this year. The regulation allows all tennis players from the WTA and ATP sides to request a 10-minute break during a match if the heat stress index rises above 86°F. Fans and people around the region have been advised to stay out of direct sunlight between 11 am and 3 pm local time.

And, of course, this is not the first time SW19 has dealt with such challenging heat in recent times. 

The opening day of Wimbledon’s 2025 edition became the hottest in tournament history

Last year, players, ground staff, and spectators of ‌SW19 had to deal with intense heat from the start of the event. And eventually, it turned into the hottest opening day ever recorded at the All-England Club event.

By 4:00 pm local time, the air temperature around the courts had reached 86°F, which broke the previous opening-day record of 84.74°F, which had stood since 2001. The highest temperature ever recorded during the Wimbledon main draw remains 96.26°F. 

SW19 officials took several steps to help players cope with the difficult conditions. Ice packs, cold towels, and plenty of water were made available during changeovers to help lower both the WTA and ATP players’ body temperatures.

The extreme heat conditions also affected matches in unexpected ways. The former top seed, Carlos Alcaraz’s five-set win over the Italian Fabio Fognini was briefly stopped during the deciding set after a spectator sitting in direct sunlight became unwell.

That opening-round clash paused for 15 minutes while medical staff attended to the fan. It was another reminder of how demanding the weather had become.

And the extreme heat has already played a major role at both Grand Slams earlier this season. The AO saw temperatures climb to 114.8°F, while the Parisian Slam was also held during a severe heatwave.

And with the Wimbledon main draw yet to begin, temperatures this year could climb even higher.