Roger Federer : Hot in North America 

Roger Federer insists there are noexcuses for players wilting in the US Open heat after thenumber of retirements reached a Grand Slam record 12. After 10 men quit in the first round, Jack Sock of theUnited States and Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin retired onThursday. Despite temperatures rocketing to over 30 degrees overthe first four days, in harness with crushing levels ofhumidity at Flushing Meadows, Federer offered no sympathy.

“We’ve been here in North America for some time. It’s notlike, all of a sudden, hot. I mean, it was more on the warmerside, but it’s not like impossible, to be quite honest. Reallyno excuse for that,” said the 34-year-old. “I think everybody should be well-prepared.

I know wedon’t play many best-of-five-set matches all the time, so ofcourse the body can react funny once you exceed thetwo-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours of play.

“Maybe some guys already came in too tired, whatever itwas. I think you have to analyze case by case. But I thinkother players should be so fit that heat really shouldn’tmatter at that point, the ones we’ve been playing in.”