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Roland-Garros: the cold, what does it change?

2020-09-28T16:18:07.913Z


Since an almost scorching Tour de France, temperatures have melted like snow in the sun. Players and equipment must adapt ...


Roland-Garros, fall-winter collection.

Since Sunday, the parade of the players - and to a lesser extent of the players - has the paces of fashion week in a ski resort.

Leggings, technical long-sleeved t-shirts, sweat jacket… All means are good to fight against the cold, the wind and the humidity which will be raging throughout the fortnight.

"I love it, it reminds me of Austria," slips Dominic Thiem, finalist of the last two editions, who still had the right to the roof of the Central to cool Cilic.

“It's not the necklace of ice that we wear in Australia.

We should rather provide a hot water bottle for side changes, jokes Jérôme Bianchi, medical manager of the Mouratoglou Academy.

The players are still taken aback.

It's very rare.

Usually, when it's cold outside, we play indoors… They are not used to wearing under-skins like when cycling or skiing, to use heating ointments or to wear shorts. with Agassi shorts, which compress and retain heat in the muscles.

"

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The lower the thermometer, the higher the risk of injury.

“You have to be attentive to the quality of your warm-up before the morning session which precedes a match, explains Paul Quétin, physical trainer at the FFT.

Players don't necessarily change their routine, but they take even more precautions.

"

Manage downtime

The other trap is located at the entrance to the court, after having done your preparation at the Jean-Bouin stadium or under the Central.

“We go from 20 degrees to half that, continues Quétin.

You have to stay protected as long as possible at temperature before hitting the first balls and that's why we see tights, spindles ... The players also take longer before really making a physical commitment, to have sudden changes in course or intense play.

"

When it moves, the body adjusts to the surrounding environment.

Including if it looks like a freezer.

The biggest problem in tennis is the time out, which still represents 80 to 90% of a match!

“Above all, we must not stay waiting in the cold, warns Bianchi.

For example, there should be a rule that requires you to leave the court at the end of a set if your opponent goes out.

Five minutes sitting outside, it's catastrophic when you resume!

"

The equipment, too, is subject to the harsh vagaries of the weather.

"We are never faced with this scenario," explains Benoît Mauguin, stringer, among others, of Gaël Monfils or Caroline Garcia.

We lowered the tension of the ropes.

The risk of breakage is greater with humidity on the hoses.

We arranged for the players to start the tournament with a series of new racquets, with maximum rigidity.

We must also adapt to the balls, which we discover in these conditions.

“And which quickly find themselves unrecognizable, beyond the reservations about their quality.

“They get wet and bigger,” says Petra Kvitova.

“I wouldn't even give them to a dog to chew on,” says Briton Dan Evans.

Or by the fireside ...

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2020-09-28

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