Opinion: Novak Djokovic's toughest opponent at Tokyo Olympics might be the heat

TOKYO – Given his dominance over the men’s Grand Slam events this year, Novak Djokovic came to the Olympics with the aura of a man who cannot be beaten or even bothered on his way to a gold medal.

But even as he’s managed to outrun his biggest rivals and position himself to rewrite tennis history, one of Djokovic’s biggest nemeses has followed him to Tokyo: the heat.

And not just any heat.

As the Olympic tennis event began Saturday, even players who are used to the Australian summer, muggy Miami or any other hot spot around the globe, were taken aback by the conditions they faced at the Ariake Tennis Park. Midday temperatures registered as high as 92 degrees with relentless humidity and no trace of the breeze that had made practice sessions over the previous few days a bit more tolerable.