At the Cincinnati Open, players are finding themselves battling not just their opponents, but the sweltering heat as well. The scorching conditions have added an extra layer of challenge to the tournament, testing endurance, mental strength, and adaptability on court. We have already seen quite a few retirements at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, and now, as the mercury continues to climb, the intense weather is becoming a major talking point for athletes and fans alike. Seeing multiple complaints about the same issue, recently, Coco Gauff‘s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, opened up on this topic.

During his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, the Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech, trudged to the back of the court to grab a towel and attempted to sit down, falling on his back. Although he tried his best to continue, eventually Rinderknech was forced to retire. The umpire was seen asking him, “Arthur, are you okay?” Even Daniil Medvedev, who made an early exit from this tournament after losing out to Adam Walton, said, “It was very tough physically and, unfortunately, in these conditions, I think physicality becomes the priority.” He even stuck his head inside a fridge in a desperate bid to cool down. Such has been the condition in Cincinnati.

Andrey Rublev also complained about the “super hot” conditions. Ice towels were everywhere – draped around necks, wrapped over heads – but still, players were seen struggling to cope with this heat. Seeing this, Brad Gilbert came up with a tweet saying, “There has been quite a few retirements so far in the men’s Cincy, much warmer conditions this year so far, but traditionally this tournament 🏟️ very warm weather is the normal for along time.” Who were the other tennis stars to speak up on these harsh weather conditions in Cincinnati, though?

After his match against America’s Nishesh Basavareddy, even the world number 3, Alexander Zverev, claimed he needs some days to get used to the heat and conditions here at the Cincinnati Open. On the women’s side, Elena Rybakina was seen clutching an ice pack between points during her match against Renata Zarazua.

Speaking on this after the match, Rybakina revealed, “In the first set, the sun hit quite badly on me. I honestly didn’t feel well, especially at the beginning of the match. Somehow, I got used to it & the weather became better. But it was really tough match. Happy that I managed to get through.” But other than the weather conditions, there have been a few things at this year’s Cincinnati Open that have really impressed tennis stars.

Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and others heap praise on the transformation at the Cincinnati Open

Other than the harsh weather conditions, the recent transformation at the Cincinnati Open has also been the talk of the town in the tennis world. After all, players just can’t get enough of the $260 million transformation of the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Russian superstar Daniil Medvedev said that the tournament organizers have done a great job, and he also claimed that he feels good to see tournaments making efforts for players. Jannik Sinner stated, “It’s amazing. I was talking with all the players, and it’s actually very strange for us to come to a venue where everything is new. It’s amazing what they did in one year. Everything has improved so, so much, but mostly the space we have for us players.” Talking about the changes at the Cincinnati Open, he said the dining area is now also much bigger.

Sinner feels happy and honored to have this kind of revolution. The facility now has a redesigned multi-story Performance Center with a bigger fitness center and a locker room space spanning two floors. Add to that an indoor facility boasting six tennis courts and office space, and it doesn’t even come close to an exhaustive list of the upgrades.

As for Gauff, she couldn’t help but appreciate how the revamp has helped the players get more privacy during the tournament. Speaking to the press after her win over Wang Xinyu, the reigning French Open champion shared, “Just the space and the facilities here are great. Like just having space to be alone. I feel like a lot of times these tournaments, we see each other all the time.” 

So, the 2025 Cincinnati Open has been a mix of good and bad experiences for the tennis stars. Good for the transformations and slightly bad for the players because they had to play under these severe weather conditions. What are your thoughts on these, though?