At Queen’s, Madison Keys joked that the hot, sunny conditions in London were “like a nice winter day in Florida”. By Day 1 at Wimbledon, the No.6 seed had upgraded her weather observation to declare it “quite toasty out here”.

The heatwave that has enveloped the start of this year’s Championships has introduced a new look and feel to the Wimbledon experience for spectators. While the beachy scent of sunscreen fills the air, UV umbrellas, handheld fans, water bottles and wide-brimmed hats are must-have accessories.

But players, such as Alexandra Eala (main picture), can’t retreat to a shady spot to cool down or seek out a refreshing Pimm’s. The stars of the show are, quite literally, in the heat of the action.

Hence Operation Ice Towel, carried out with forensic attention to detail by the logistics squad of the 220-strong Court Services team.

The mission has been to ensure every player has an ice towel, kept in a courtside cool box, at the start of their match. For hygiene reasons, the towels are stored individually in plastic bags labelled 0 or 1 (each player is allotted a number at the start of the match) and offered at changeovers.

More ice towels are available on request. Throughout his three-hour, seven-minute, four-set defeat on No.2 Court on Monday, Daniil Medvedev requested a record number of nine further fresh ice towels to drape over his long limbs.

An ice towel is not merely a dampened towel that has been stored in a freezer. It is quite specifically a regular white towel (as opposed to an official Championship towel), in which a line of ice cubes has been rolled and then taped at both ends and at intervals along the length to keep the frozen blocks of water in place.

Players have 90-second changeovers or two minutes at the end of a set to enjoy the benefits of their ice towel. Even such a short timeframe reveals players’ individual quirks or superstitions.

The first match on Centre Court – the steamy five-setter between reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and veteran Italian Fabio Fognini – featured much use of the body-temperature coolers. The Spaniard wanted his towel “wetter” so that when draped around his neck he was literally drenched in icy water.

Fabio Fognini, meanwhile, was happy to carry on with his original one, even once the ice had melted and the towel had become a slushy tepid object, and became so attached to it he took it with him on a bathroom break.

Some players have been insistent they should be offered them before they have even started play.

A quantity of ice towels are always made and distributed on request, but it’s a rare occurrence thanks to the typical conditions in the microclimate of SW19. This week’s critical welfare operation is an anomaly.

The encyclopaedic Wimbledon Compendium, which details all imaginable facts and figures associated with the history of The Championships, has a section headed “Weather”. The three topics listed? First weeks badly interrupted by rain; Days which have been completely rained off; Reduction of sets due to rain.

So when the call to ensure ice towel provision for every single player came on Sunday from the Club, it was all action in the Court Services southern logistics headquarters behind No.2 Court.

“A few phone calls ensued to increase the ice order and the number of white towels and then we got a rapid production line going,” said Louise Spring, Court Services Manager, surveying the stores which included a delivery of 450 white towels just for Tuesday.

“On Sunday afternoon, we had 142 ice towels made and stashed in the freezer for the first round of matches on Monday. Then it became an ongoing operation and we had to requisition some space in what would normally be a Food & Beverages freezer store room.”

The Court Services team have a thorough protocol in looking after players’ needs on court – involving sun umbrellas, towels, water and so on – but are always prepared to be reactive to demands according to the conditions.

Staying cool, chilling out, that’s easier said than done when the Great British weather serves up scorching daytime temperatures of 34°C and nights are officially classified as “tropical” (defined by the Met Office as a night when the temperature does not fall below 20°C).

The only disappointment this week for the heroic Court Services Ice Towel Operation? Not being able to defy science. “One player asked us to make the ice colder… but ice is ice.”