NEW YORK (AP) Soaked with sweat as the temperature neared 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) on the hottest day at this years U.S. Open , 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev walked slowly to towel off between points of his victory Wednesday, looked into a courtside camera and issued what sounded like a mix between a warning and a plea.

You cannot imagine, he said. One player (is) gonna die, and theyre gonna see.

The only thing that is a little bit, lets call it dangerous, is that the question is: How far could we go? Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian seeded No. 3, said after eliminating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time.

Im not sure what can we do. Because probably we cannot stop the tournament for four days because its been, what, three, four days its been brutal like this? because then it basically ruins everything: the TV, even the tickets, everything. It ruins everything, said Medvedev, who said he needed an ice bath and something to eat after leaving the court. So I dont think this could be done.