Following extensive consultation and keeping the interest of player health at the forefront, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Wednesday announced a change of schedule in tennis event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to the increasing heat and humidity currently being experienced in Japan.

Tennis matches at the Tokyo Olympics will now begin at 3 PM from Thursday, instead of the scheduled 11 AM start, the ITF announced on a day Russia's Daniil Medvedev had to take a medical timeout on court during his encounter against Italy's Fabio Fognini.

"Still alive," Medvedev tweeted after the game tagging Tokyo Games organisers and the International Olympic Council (IOC).

ITF later said that the decision to start matches at 3pm JST from Thursday is possible due to the outcomes of today's matches across the five competitions being staged and the size of player field, and is designed to further safeguard player health.

The game's governing body said that the decision has been made following consultation with the IOC, Tokyo 2020, Olympic Broadcast Services as well as the Olympic tennis event players, referee, medical experts and other key stakeholders.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event Extreme Weather Policy, which has been in place throughout the tournament provides for modifications of play once the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) reaches a threshold of 30.1°C including ten-minute breaks for both men and women if requested.

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