Cincinnati's heat caused a French player to faint, leading to Medvedev's surprising early exit and existential doubts.

At the Cincinnati Open, French player Londerknecht unexpectedly fell during his third-round match against Aliassime. This incident led to his retirement in the middle of the second set, sparking worries about player safety in the sweltering heat.

On August 11, temperatures at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, climbed to 88°F (about 31°C), creating particularly tough playing conditions. As a result, players struggled to cope with the weather, and Medvedev resorted to unusual methods to cool down earlier that day.

After losing the first set to Aliassime, Londerknecht picked up a towel to take a break when the score was 2-2 in the second set. He suddenly collapsed in the middle of the court while walking to his seat, prompting medical personnel to rush to assist him. Shortly thereafter, he was able to continue playing, but this state did not last long. Just two games later, Londerknecht was forced to retire due to the extreme heat at the Cincinnati Open.

The match result showed Aliassime leading 7-6(4) 4-2, ultimately advancing to the round of 16.

World No. 3 Zverev also expressed confusion over the differing playing conditions between the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. Zverev's concern was that many players assess their performance in Cincinnati to prepare for the final Grand Slam event of the year. However, he felt that this discrepancy made such evaluations less meaningful.

At the pre-match press conference, Zverev admitted he did not understand why the court speed had slowed compared to the past. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the surface but remained hopeful about his performance in the matches.

“Cincinnati used to be a very fast event, but now it has become quite slow. I’m not sure why this surface was chosen, especially since the courts in New York will again be very fast. I’m not particularly fond of this surface. I just hope to play good tennis and go as far as possible,” he said.

As the third seed at the Cincinnati Open, Zverev defeated Bassavareddy in the second round and will face Nakashima in his next match.

On the other side, Medvedev admitted he fell short of expectations after losing to Australian player Walton in the second round. The Russian has struggled this year, exiting Grand Slam tournaments early and failing to secure any tour titles.

Medvedev celebrated his 300th career hard court victory at the 2025 Qatar Open, becoming the second male player born in 1990 or later to achieve this milestone after Dimitrov. He reached the semifinals at the Indian Wells Open and made it to the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open, while finishing as a runner-up at the Halle Open, losing to Bublik.

Medvedev had hoped for a better performance at the Cincinnati Open this year, especially after being eliminated in the second round by Czech player Lehecka in 2024. However, he again failed to achieve the desired results, exiting in the second round and concluding his second tournament of the North American season.

After the match, Medvedev expressed his disappointment but remained optimistic, stating he believes he will find a way out soon. “It’s really unfortunate; it’s a tough moment for me right now, but that’s tennis. What you can do is look for solutions. I haven’t found one yet, and I’m clearly far from my goal. But one day, I will find it,” he said.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)