During Murrray’s first round win over James Duckworth, at the changeover between games, the British star used an ice towel to stay cool.
And should Murray’s match go into a fourth set, he can request a 10-minute break as per the ‘Extreme Heat’ policy implemented by US Open officials.
Temperatures in New York today are set to hit 36C/96F and in a bid to protect the players, officials are giving them a short break to recover.
A US Open statement said: “The Extreme Heat policy is in effect for women’s and men’s singles matches until further notice.
“For all women’s singles matches, a 10-minute break will be allowed between the second and third sets if either player requests such a break.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“If both players decline a 10-minute break, then play shall be continuous. Appropriate medical timeouts for heat-related illness are allowed.
“For all men’s singles matches, a 10-minute break will be allowed between the third and fourth sets if either player requests such a break.
“If both players decline a 10-minute break, then play shall be continuous. Appropriate medical timeouts for heat-related illness are allowed.”
Murray has a 13-1 winning record against Verdasco but their last meeting was in Dubai in 2017.
And the 31-year-old says he can’t allow Verdasco to dictate their match.
Murray said: “Obviously, Fernando has an extremely heavy forehand, plays with a lot of spin.
“On the serve, kind of difficult sometimes to know what he’s going to do. I have played him sometimes where he’s been going for huge serves.
“And then I also played in one, he served he served like 80% first serve and kind of rolled the serve in.
“Fernando is a great shot-maker and someone that when he’s on his game, really tough to beat.
“Yeah, when he’s dictating, as well, you can’t allow him to dictate too much.”