The Cincinnati Open was hardly the most inspiring tournament hosted this year, despite all the hype surrounding it beforehand.
After all, there was excitement for both players and fans, given the $200m that had been invested into a huge redevelopment of the grounds.
They added courts and remarkable facilities, yet have still drawn a few key criticisms for glaring oversights.
One pundit slammed the visibility of the ball on the Cincinnati Open courts, an issue held by those watching from home.
However, Catherine Whitaker outlined a very real problem that could have serious repercussions on the match-going fans.
Cincinnati Open redevelopment questioned
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, she began by admitting that the redevelopment deserves praise.
Whitaker noted: “They’ve obviously done this incredible 200 million dollar redevelopment at the site. We weren’t there, but by all accounts, it really is incredible, and like, it’s great to see tennis being invested in that way and the infrastructure and all the rest of it. It’s brilliant.”
However, she then moved on to the real problem: “But there’s no shade anywhere on that centre court and that’s a problem. It’s a problem, like, the world is heating up, it was uncomfortable watching a lot of Cincinnati. I found I was worrying about people in the crowd.
“And I know they’re locals and they’re to it and they know what they signed up to and all the rest of it, but, like, wouldn’t it be better if they were just a bit more comfortable? And also it makes it less inclusive, like it’s more difficult for the elderly, for the less able, for people like me who just feel the heat, like, it doesn’t need to be like this.
“The Australian Open made incredible strides at providing shade for spectators and made it a massive priority of providing shade for spectators in a way that still maintains a totally outdoor field, those sort of canopy-type things that they have.
“And it’s not like every seat is in the shade at the Australian Open, but it is possible to provide huge swathes of shade, and I feel like that needs to happen in Cincinnati because it was disgustingly hot and humid and uncomfortable for spectators and players. Like it was a problem.”
Which top players retired or withdrew from the Cincinnati Open?
The inclement weather did not just affect the Cincinnati Open audience, who were forced to watch on unshaded from the brutal sun.
Unsurprisingly, these finely-tuned athletes were also affected, with a handful of the event’s biggest names even forced to retire due to illness or injury.
Of course, Jannik Sinner in the men’s final is chief among those.
Arthur Rinderknech was another, who actually collapsed on the court, with players like Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Luciano Darderi, Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Marta Kostyuk all retiring mid-match too.
Cameron Norrie managed to stick it out despite his defeat, but he threw up immediately after losing to Roberto Bautista Agut.
These are gruelling conditions that are adversely affecting elite-level athletes. Something must be done before next year’s event.
