Tokyo: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said on Saturday he plans to arrive in Japan early after Wimbledon next year to acclimatise himself to the extreme heat during the Tokyo Olympics.
The Serbian star urged tennis authorities to find a way to organise matches to minimise harm from the heat, with many experts warning that Tokyo summer temperatures and high humidity may physically impact players, fans and volunteers.
“I just hope that ITF will manage to find the right schedule,” said Djokovic after winning his Japan Open semi-final against David Goffin.
“There will be a lot of matches, a lot of players: men, women, doubles, mixed doubles. All of that needs to be played within ... less than 10 days or so.
“It’s quite a challenge for the organisation to come up with the right schedule, I guess, where you avoid the biggest heat, but how can you really do it? That’s the question.”
