Sportswriters Howard Fendrich and Brian Mahoney teamed up with data analyst Mary Katherine Wildeman and graphics designer Jake O’Connell to analyze data from recent decades to uncover that the temperature has risen at the tennis Grand Slam tournaments by an average of 5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1988, increasing the likelihood of heat-related illness and withdrawals. Fendrich and Mahoney worked with Top Stories editor Amy Shafer, while O'Connell created graphics that showed the rising heat at the tennis majors, as well as the correlation between the rising temperature and the higher number of players dropping out of matches at the U.S. Open.
Grand Slam tournaments are getting hotter, AP analysis shows
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, cools off between games against Andrey Rublev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sept. 6, 2023, in New York.
AP Photo / Seth Wenig