NOS Sport•
Melbourne is bracing for a sweltering day: temperatures in the Australian city could reach 45 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The organization of the Australian Open has preventively moved the planned wheelchair matches one day, brought other matches forward and will again follow the ‘extreme heat protocol’.
That protocol was rewritten in 2019 and revolves around the heat stress scale (HSS). This not only looks at the temperature, but also at solar power, humidity and wind power. If the maximum score of five is reached on the HSS, matches will be stopped.
Last weekend, that score was already reached at a temperature of about 37 degrees and competitions on outdoor courts were paused. In the Rod Laver Arena, where the roof can be closed and there is air conditioning, a cooling break inserted during a match of defending champion Jannik Sinner, who suffered from severe cramps and loss of concentration due to the heat.
A few days before the problems at Sinner, a ball girl fainted from the heat along the tennis court. She was helped back on her feet by tennis players Zeynep Sönmez and Yekaterina Aleksandrova.
Aryna Sabalenka, the number one in the women’s world rankings, already announced that she would rather not play in the heat: “It’s too much for our bodies. But I’m happy that at least we now have the heat rules, and there is a lot of ice.”
-
Zeynep Sönmez cares about the ball girl -
Title holder Jannik Sinner cools down with wet towels during his third round match
The extreme temperatures have been a recurring theme during the Australian Open for years. During the 2014 edition it was so hot that plastic bottles melted along the track and players fainted during games. A record number of nine tennis players gave up in the first round during that tournament.
It was also hot during the 2023 edition and the heat protocol was put into effect. Yet during both years it was not as hot as tomorrow’s expected 45 degrees in Melbourne.
Australian Alex de Minaur gave his colleagues advice last weekend: “This is going to be tough. Make sure you hydrate, eat well, recover well and use ice towels from the first game.”
