The highest temperature in Wimbledon history was recorded this afternoon, with the Met Office stating that a temperature of 35.7C was recorded at Kew Gardens, which is relatively close to the venue itself.
This beats the previous record, which was 34.6C back in 1976. Weather warnings were issued to many spectators set to arrive at the tournament, which is almost midway through the first week of the prestigious competition.
Weather not just affecting fans and players...
It was reported earlier, that a ball boy collapsed on Court 17 during the Men's singles encounter between Matthew Ebden (Aus) and John Isner (USA) - and was consequently taken to hospital. An All England Club spokesman reassured those that were worried about his health, saying it was a precautionary measure. "He's sitting up and is conversant but has been sent to hospital for a precautionary check-up."
A number of critics and fans alike have suggested that the Wimbledon organisers introduce a heat break rule, which currently is in place in all tournaments run by the WTA Tour. A rule on the women's side of tennis states a ten-minute break between the secod and third sets is permitted, when the heat stress index reaches about 30.1C.
Players divided over heat issue
World number one Novak Djokovic, who beat Jarkko Nieminen with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory earlier, had this to say on the heat issue: "It wasn't as bad as I thought - people were talking about it and predicting really difficult conditions. But I didn't find it as difficult as I thought it might be."
Meanwhile, his opinion was reiterated by Maria Sharapova, who defeated Richel Hogenkamp with a commanding display, 6-3, 6-1. "It's much warmer in my home town of Long Boat Key, Florida. There's some cloud coverage - I've trained quite long in the heat over there."
However, Australian player Bernard Tomic was visibly affected by the high temperatures, and he struggled towards the end of his match with Pierre-Hughes Herbert, which he eventually edged out a 7-6(7-3), 4-6, 7-6(7-5) win. "I was very dizzy out there. I didn't sleep well yesterday or the day before. Probably getting just three or four hours of sleep, I was fatigued and starting to get dizzy out there with the heat hitting me."
Many spectators will be hoping that the weather is not an excuse for poor and lacklustre performances, but some brilliant tennis has been played over the past few days, it must be said.
Three-time former champion John McEnroe insisted that the ATP Tour should follow the WTA's lead by adding a heat rule - to be implemented at Wimbledon. He said: "The tournament directors rule the ATP too much in my opinion. The players should rule it, as they should rule Wimbledon and the other majors. If we get them all together we could do something for this wonderful sport we have, including taking a 10-minutes break if it's so hot here at Wimbledon."