Men's tennis body buckles: Games to be paused, stopped if heat hits break point

At the Australian Open in 2014, Canadian tennis player Frank Dancevic started to hallucinate on court.

- Shahid Judge

Novak Djokovic cools off during the Paris Olympics.

(GETTY IMAGES)

His attention needed to be on the fluffy yellow tennis ball.But as the temperature in Melbourne Park crossed 40°C, Dancevic suddenly saw the famed cartoon character Snoopy.

Then he fainted.

Those dangerous playing conditions prompted the many governing bodies of tennis to work towards implementing heat policies. The four Grand Slams which are governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and even the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) adopted guidelines.

On Monday, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) - the governing body of men's tennis - finally introduced a policy of its own, one that will come into effect from the 2026 season.

"The new regulation is based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) and introduces clear thresholds for cooling measures and suspension of play in best-of-three singles matches," the ATP said in a statement.