DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Jim Ji finished waxing the No. 1 player in the county for 18-year-old boys. He fought through a rain delay and six hours in the sun.
"I got the win today, so obviously I feel really happy, ecstatic about it," he said Friday.
Ji said it's tough playing in such brutal heat.
"It almost, like, suffocates you," Ji said of the consistent 90-plus-degree temperatures.
The Boys 18 & 16 National Clay Court Championships is a prestigious event. It consists of more than 500 of the top-ranked players in the country.
Friday was the 12th consecutive day of a heat advisory, so the tournament wasn't taking any chances.
Water and ice stations were set up throughout, and tournament workers were handing out electrolyte tablets to all players.
Trainers like Christopher Powell with Baptist Health were also on hand for each day of the tournament.
"The main thing is keeping these kids hydrated and cooled off," Powell said.
One thing he stresses to the kids is to stay in the shade when they're not playing and drink as much as possible.
Powell said he's seeing a lot of heat-related issues.
"Heat exhaustion. Heat cramps," he said. "Some kids' bodies haven't acclimatized correctly or haven't acclimatized all the way, so their bodies aren't used to this, and it's a lot, especially when some of these kids are playing four or five matches in a day."
Ji said he spent a couple of days before the tournament to train and acclimate himself to the heat.
"I'd say I've managed it well these last couple of days," Ji said.
The tournament will go through Sunday, which is the finals for singles and doubles.
