For top-level athletes, consistency is the name of the game.
It’s a day-to-day life of meticulously thought-through training schedules, strict diets, and perfectly regimented routines built on years of dedication.
There is, however, one thing athletes can’t control: the weather.
As a deadly, record-breaking heat wave surges across Europe, its impacts are firmly being felt by the stars sweating their way through Roland Garros.
‘It’s insane to play in this weather’
According to its national weather service, France has had daily high temperatures of over 32 degrees Celsius (about 90 degrees Fahrenheit) since Saturday – a staggering number for this time of year.
Such is the heat, this stretch of sunny days has been hotter than it typically is in July – the country’s hottest month – and this week has already seen France have its hottest day in May on record.
And it doesn’t take a tennis analyst to see the impact this is having on the players.
During almost every stoppage in play, players rush to their respective benches to do whatever they can to cool down.
Valuable time in the shade is soaked up under an umbrella, portable fans work overtime and various concoctions of some sort of hydration are drunk to replenish the body with electrolytes.
Players are also constantly holding bags of ice to their faces and necks before it inevitably and quickly melts.
All of this, however, is still not enough to stop the sun.
World No. 16 Casper Ruud said the conditions had him “walking around like a zombie” after his first-round win on May 25.
“It was kind of a heatstroke feeling,” Ruud described after his five-set win against Roman Safiullin. “I had experienced something similar some years ago when I played in Washington, DC, and I had to retire in the third set.
“That’s the only time I had that feeling I had today in the fourth set, where I felt at times really dizzy and walking around like a zombie almost.”
Ruud is just one of many suffering the consequences of the heat dome looming over the continent.
A heat dome is a persistent high-pressure system which acts like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air and pushing it downward. Jakub Menšík has said it is “insane” that players are playing under these conditions.
The Czech star collapsed at the end of his five-set win against Mariano Navone on Wednesday.
“It’s insane to play in this weather, especially in front of the sun, to be there for more than four and a half hours it’s just insane and, even with the breaks, you don’t have that much time,” Menšík said postgame.
The 20-year-old said he began to feel sick and, as a result, he was unable to get any electrolytes in his system. He then also struggled with cramps as the match neared its conclusion.
After securing his win, Menšík instantly collapsed onto the clay court. First aid providers offered the No. 26 seed a wheelchair, but he was able to leave the court on his own two feet.
“In this heat and in these conditions, it’s insane,” Menšík reiterated as he suggested a more lenient approach be applied to the strict rules regarding breaks at Roland Garros.
Aside from the weather, Jannik Sinner’s surprise second-round exit against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo has been the biggest talking point of this tournament so far.
The world No. 1 struggled physically after taking a two-set and 5-1 third set lead but was quick to not blame the weather, however.
“It was a tough spot to be in. But, again, this is the sport. It was warm but not crazy warm. I feel like it was quite OK to play.
Really, it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens,” Sinner said postgame.
But Sinner was stagnant at points in the game, unable to move from the spot he was rallying from. It’s hard to believe the heat didn’t have some sort of impact.
Rising tension
And it’s not just the players at the French Open who are affected by the weather. The equipment is also feeling the heat, and some competitors are trying unique methods to get around this.
The eagle-eyed have spotted defending champion Coco Gauff doing something rather intriguing with her spare rackets. The American has been keeping them in a cooler, apparently to protect the strings.
“String tension changes with different weather,” former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki said in an Instagram comment.
“When it’s hot tension tends to drop quicker than usual. The racket bags are always in direct sun so she wanted to be extra safe and put them in the fridge.”
With the heat wave expected to last until Saturday, will we see more players thinking outside the box under the sweltering sun?
<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmpq0vk0800033b6rzxp3dyks@published" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource-elevate" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-canonical-url-path="/sport/video/roland-garros-clay-court-difficulty-spt" data-auth-type="none" data-card-url="" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/cmbhkidly001y3b6mve2m2z31@published" data-video-id="me963ac9491d6a86ba06eac4929b7f3f0b9aae1fef" data-media-id="me963ac9491d6a86ba06eac4929b7f3f0b9aae1fef" data-bolt-id="c0a7bcf2-5f20-5b7b-8ae3-1d8fa14bf420" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="Roland Garros: Why is clay the most difficult surface to play on?" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="<p>Clay is widely considered to be the most difficult surface to play tennis on. But what makes the iconic Roland Garros surface so challenging compared to grass and hard courts? And why is Rafael Nadal the King of Clay? CNN Sports' Matias Grez takes a look.</p>" data-duration="01:32" data-source-html='<span class="video-resource__source"> • Source:
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<time datetime=”2026-05-28T22:45:01.074Z”>Updated May 28, 2026, 6:45 PM ET</time>
<time datetime=”2026-05-28T22:28:14.518Z”>Published May 28, 2026, 6:28 PM ET</time>
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<div class=”updated”>Updated <time datetime=”2026-05-28T22:45:01.074Z”>May 28, 2026, 6:45 PM ET</time></div>
<div class=”timestamp__published vossi-timestamp_elevate__published”>PUBLISHED <time datetime=”2026-05-28T22:28:14.518Z”>May 28, 2026, 6:28 PM ET</time></div>
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We may also see some players taking advantage of the heat if it suits their playstyle.
The balls act differently in these conditions, evidently bouncing higher and producing more top spin than they usually would. This could help those with big returns and even bigger serves as they look to assert their dominance in the heat.
‘Mind-bogglingly crazy’ weather
Players with their faces in coolers or holding handheld fans will be the lasting image of the opening week at Roland Garros and it may only get worse in years to come.
Climate change is heavily influencing heat waves such as the one seen at Roland Garros this week.
According to the non-profit Climate Central, the heat seen this week in Paris was at least four times more likely to occur than it otherwise would as a result of climate change.
And it shows no signs of slowing down.
Heatwaves will continue to get more and more intense, happen more frequently and start earlier in the year as the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution.
“We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heat wave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change,” said Peter Thorne, director of ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University in Ireland. “But nevertheless, many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy,” he added.
Off the court, extreme temperatures are also having deadly consequences. There have been “seven deaths directly or indirectly linked to the heat, including at least five from drowning, as well as deaths related to extreme heat during sports events,” Maud Bregeon, a French government spokesperson, told French TV network TF1.
On Sunday, a 53 year-old man died during a running event in Paris and a woman died at a Hyrox sports event in the city of Lyon, according to the Associated Press citing local media reports.
It’s not yet confirmed if the deaths were heat-related, but France’s Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, appeared to make a link, saying the deaths were “a stark reminder that practicing sports in extreme heat requires absolute vigilance.”
If this is what the weather is like in May, how will the players fare in June and July with Wimbledon just around the corner? And if things are only set to get worse as time goes on, what’s next in the future for fans and athletes alike?
CNN’s Laura Paddison and Mary Gilbert contributed to reporting.
