Alcaraz rushes to aid of heat-stricken spectator as tournament records its hottest opening day

Tennis fans braved the hottest start to Wimbledon on record yesterday as temperatures soared to 32C (90F).

- Emine Sinmaz Geneva Abdul

Spectators used fans and umbrellas to cope with the heat as they queued from the early hours to watch players including Emma Raducanu, the British women's No 1, and the defending Wimbledon men's champion, Carlos Alcaraz - who rushed to the aid of a fan who collapsed.

Delyth Lewis, 79, was assisted from Centre Court after falling ill in the fifth hour of the 22-year-old Spaniard's match against Italy's Fabio Fognini.

Players were offered ice on court to help cool off and more than 100 water stations were dotted across the grounds for spectators. Temperatures reached a high of 32.3C at Wimbledon yesterday afternoon, surpassing the previous record of 29.3C on day one of the championships, set on 25 June 2001. The Met Office said temperatures could reach a high of 34C today.

"Records are tumbling off the court as we can confirm this is the hottest start to Wimbledon on record," said a Met Office spokesperson, Marco Petagna. "The really high heat is not ideal conditions for playing, but the temperature will fall to 24-25C later this week."

Alcaraz spotted Lewis struggling during the match and rushed to the umpire's chair before handing the unwell spectator a bottle of water. Play was briefly stopped before Alcaraz returned to take the fifth set.