A study published by the Australian Institute of Sport in 2023 outlined a definitive link between an increased risk of skin cancer and those who spend all or part of their day regularly working outdoors. That skin damage, the study suggests, is permanent, irreversible and increases with each exposure.
Last week when Zarazua got sunburnt – which left her with a fever the next day – she had not applied sunscreen, although she usually does.
She told BBC Sport that applying sunscreen “can sometimes be annoying because it can be so oily and even you grab a bit on your arm and then your grip it is so slippery, so you can’t play”.
“That’s sometimes why I just wear long sleeves and leggings to avoid all those kind of things,” she added. “If I have a bit of cream I feel I can’t hold my grip properly and you need a firm grip to hit a forehand or serve.
“You can apply extra sunscreen on court but then what do you do with your hands? It’s not like you have a washer there so you can put on soap.”
Britain’s Cameron Norrie uses a heavy-duty zinc sunscreen on his face – the type that leaves a white stripe but is sweat-resistant.
“Not looking too good – looking a bit like a cricketer – but it’s the only way for me to protect for a long period of time,” he told BBC Sport.
Based on their experiences, Roddick and Evert have called on current players at junior and senior levels to take robust precautions in the sun, urging the use of suncream, caps and sunglasses.
Maya Joint, who regularly wears sunglasses, praised the tournaments for doing “a really good job” in making sunscreen available and the tours also have rules to help players in hot and humid conditions.
New heat rules recently introduced by the men’s ATP tour, similar to long-standing WTA provisions, will from this season allow 10-minute breaks during matches in extreme conditions.
“I think a lot of the players are doing a good job with that [looking after themselves in the sun],” Joint said.
“[But] I still know a couple of people that should probably wear more sunscreen.”