PARIS — Jakub Mensik left everything on the court Wednesday, but the price of victory was nearly his ability to walk off it. The 26th seed collapsed moments after clinching a gritty 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 second-round win over Mariano Navone, falling to the clay and clutching his leg in agony at Roland Garros.
The four-hour-41-minute marathon was played under brutal conditions, with temperatures soaring into the low 90s Fahrenheit. Mensik battled cramps throughout the final set, even conceding his first serve in the deciding tiebreak just to buy precious seconds of recovery. When he finally converted match point, his body gave out entirely, and he needed medical assistance to leave the court.
“It was incredibly tough out there,” Mensik said after the match. “I gave everything I had, and my body just shut down at the end.”
The win sets up a third-round clash with Alex de Minaur, but it’s unclear whether Mensik will be fit to compete. The weather forecast offers little relief: temperatures are expected to remain near record highs through the weekend, raising concerns about player safety in extreme heat.
Before the tournament began, organizers warned that this year’s French Open could be the hottest on record for late May. “I never see temperature like this end of May and prevision getting higher every time,” read a Sunday weather update. “1st round and 2nd Round will be hard but at least no rain delays.”
Mensik’s collapse is the most dramatic example yet of the toll the heat is taking on players. Several others have struggled in the conditions, with Naomi Osaka and Tommy Paul also noting the difficulty of competing under the blazing Paris sun. The tournament has implemented heat-break rules, but for Mensik, they weren’t enough.
As the tournament progresses, the spotlight will remain on the conditions. For now, the tennis world waits to see if Mensik can recover in time for his next match—and whether more players will succumb to the oppressive heat.
