Tennis star retires from match at boiling Cincinnati Open after collapsing on court

France’s Arthur Rinderknech sparked worrying scenes at the Cincinnati Open on Monday after collapsing on the court mid-match.

The 30-year-old was later forced to retire from his match against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime having struggled with the sweltering heat.

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Several tennis players have been forced to combat near-unplayable conditions as temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Rinderknech was contesting a round-of-32 match against Auger-Aliassime when the scorching heat proved too much.

The Frenchman, who dropped the first set of his third-round encounter, battled back to seal an early break-up in set two.

However, after instantly surrendering his service to make it 2-2, Rinderknech then collapsed as he moved to grab a towel.

The umpire could be heard saying: “Arthur, are you okay?”, as No. 23 seed Auger-Aliassime paused his attempted service.

Rinderknech lay down in the middle of the court, with his opponent racing over to help before medics arrived.

After a cooling break with ice, the No.72-ranked star did his level-best to continue the match.

But he still looked light-headed and unsteady on his feet and lost a further two games before retiring.

Sky Sports host Gigi Salmon said: “Arthur Rinderknech, who just a short while ago collapsed at the back of the court, was not able to continue. Before that point, he leant down, his hands on his knees, almost bent double, barely able to move right now.

“It’s really difficult to see. These are such tough conditions. [When he was] sat down on his bench, he had an ice towel around his neck, he had an ice towel on his legs, and we just hope he recovers quickly.”

Sky Sports

Sky Sports

What is new about the Cincinnati Open?

This is the first edition of the tournament since billionaire Ben Navarro, father of No. 11-ranked Emma Navarro, invested over $130 million in expanding and renovating the site.

Navarro Sr. owns the Cincinnati Open through his private investment firm Beemok Capital.

The site, which is called The Linder Family Tennis Center, now spans more than 40 acres, which is double the size it was in 2024.

A state-of-the-art clubhouse was designed for players to ensure they feel even more comfortable when on site.

A 16,000-square-foot fan pavilion was also built, so spectators can relax and enjoy activities.

More importantly, there are 14 new courts, meaning there are now 31 courts overall on-site at the tournament.

There is also a new Champions Court, a new 2,300-seat stadium to host even more fans for some of the biggest matches.

Who else is playing at the Cincinnati Open?

Emma Raducanu is also taking on Aryna Sabalenka in their first meeting since their thrilling Wimbledon clash last month.

Raducanu has been riding a wave of form recently, which should be further boosted after hiring Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach.