Brad Gilbert, former coach of Coco Gauff, has ignited discussion around the need for an official heat policy on the ATP Tour after Francisco Comesana collapsed from heat exhaustion during his third-round match at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Gilbert criticized the current rules that allow players to pause the match for medical reasons related to fitness issues such as cramps, highlighting concerns about player safety and match fairness.
Details of Comesana’s Collapse and Its Impact on the Match
The incident unfolded midway through the second set of Comesana’s match against American player Reilly Opelka. After dropping the first set 7-6 (4), Comesana held a 4-3 lead in the second set and was up 15-0 on his serve when he suddenly showed signs of distress at the baseline. He stopped playing and slowly moved to the sidelines, visibly affected by the intense heat in Cincinnati. A ballgirl brought a sick bag, while the medical team monitored his blood pressure and applied ice to his neck.
Following an 11-minute medical timeout, Comesana appeared to recover, regaining momentum and eventually winning the set 6-4 and the match in three sets. Despite his victory, the extended break raised questions about the fairness of pauses permitted under the ATP’s current heat and medical timeout rules, especially when such breaks allow players to recover and shift match dynamics.
Gilbert’s Criticism of ATP’s Handling of Heat-Related Issues
Gilbert expressed his frustration through a series of posts on X, arguing that the ATP’s policy is inadequate in addressing heat-related health risks and disrupts match flow unfairly. He labeled cramps as a fitness-related problem rather than an injury and challenged the practice of granting undetermined medical timeouts for such conditions.
He stated:
“The heat just hit Comesana out of nowhere, it’s on his serv 6-7 4-3 15-0, I know I’m old school, this is cramps fitness atm and how long can the player gets on this undetermined amount of time evaluation, then medical timeout, I feel like you should still lose this game”
— Brad Gilbert, Former Coach
Gilbert suggested that instead of allowing players to halt play to recover from cramps or heat exhaustion, they should be penalized by losing the current game, emphasizing his view that such issues stem from fitness rather than injury and should be treated accordingly.
Implications for ATP Tour and Player Safety Policies
This incident and the surrounding debate highlight ongoing concerns about how the ATP manages extreme weather conditions and player health. While protecting athletes is a priority, the current lack of formal heat policies could create inconsistent situations where breaks influence match outcomes. Gilbert’s stance reignites discussions on updating ATP regulations to better balance player safety with fair competition, especially as extreme weather events become more frequent.
As the ATP Tour heads into more summer events where intense heat is common, the organization may face increased pressure to establish clearer protocols. These could include defined limits on medical timeout durations, revised penalties for heat-related pauses, and enhanced monitoring of player well-being during matches to prevent hazardous collapses like Comesana’s.