Heat returns to Wimbledon as Aryna Sabalenka offers water and ice pack to fans at Centre Court

LONDON (AP) — Players and fans felt the impact of high temperatures at Wimbledon when Thursday's semifinal match between top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova was delayed twice in the first set because of spectators feeling unwell.

The affected fans at Centre Court were seated in the lower level — not shaded — and on both occasions Sabalenka walked over to offer a bottle of water. The first time, she also offered a blue ice pack.

“I feel like London is not ready for this weather. It was super hot,” Sabalenka said after losing to Anisimova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

The temperature during the first set reached 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius).

“I can’t even imagine sitting in one place and the sun just constantly hitting on you,” Sabalenka said. “You got to be really prepared, stay hydrated. It can happen to everyone.”

Sabalenka herself used ice packs — placing them on her head — to cool down during changeovers.

She said the delays had no impact on her performance.

“I was able to play my game no matter. Doesn’t matter how long the pause was. I just hope they (those fans) feel better,” she said.

The grass-court tournament experienced record-breaking Day 1 heat when the temperature rose to 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius).

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, right, hands over water to be given to a member of the crowd who was overcome by the hot weather during a women's singles semifinal match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is using an icepack to cool during the women's singles semifinal match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is using an icepack to cool during the women's singles semifinal match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)