Novak Djokovic Enjoys ‘Naked’ Ice Bath With First-Round Rival Marton Fucsovics at US Open 2018!

The soaring mercury at the US Open 2018 is bothering the tennis players quite badly.  Due to this, for the first time in the history of the Grand Slam, the male players were given a 10 minute ‘heat break’. Novak Djokovic and Marton Fucsovics enjoyed an ice bath. The tennis players sat naked in separate, adjacent ice baths during a heat break on Tuesday to cool off from the scorching heat.

"I want to thank US Open for allowing us to have a 10-minute break. I think we both needed it," said Djokovic. “There’s so much cramping going on. You don't want to see that."You have to be fit, of course. I agree with that. But there are some conditions that are so extreme that, as fit as you are, you can't just not feel it. We had the ice baths next to each other. We were naked in the ice baths -- it was a magnificent feeling I must say to be naked with the guy you are still battling when the match hasn't finished,” he further explained. Djokovic won the first round tie 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

The soaring temperatures at the US Open 2018 have forced five players to retire on the Day 2 at the Flushing Meadows. Italian qualifier Stefano Travaglia, Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Russia's Mikhail Youzhny and Serb Filip Krajinovic retired due to heat. The mercury in New York clocked 38C (100F) with 50% humidity. French Player Julien Benneteau, who won on the day 2 said that the matches should not be played in the middle of the day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2018 01:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).