Activated last Saturday (24) for the first time, the Australian Open’s “extreme heat” protocol will come into force again this Tuesday (27), with temperatures hovering around 40º C, the tournament organizers said.
Played in the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere, the tournament tends to suffer from the suffocating heat.
Organizers of the season’s first Grand Slam introduced an “extreme heat protocol” in 2019, based on a five-level “heat stress scale”.
The goal is to “provide fair playing conditions for all players” and “minimize the risk of heat-related health problems.”
Players’ heat stress level is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, calculated based on four factors: air temperature, humidity, wind speed and heat from solar radiation.
At the first level of the heat stress scale, playing conditions do not require special monitoring.
At level 2, “increased hydration” is recommended, and at level 3, the implementation of “body temperature cooling strategies.”
When the heat stress index reaches level 4, “extended breaks” must be taken, while the game will be suspended if the maximum level of the scale is reached.
Regardless of the court being played on, a match is stopped when the heat stress index reaches 4.6 for wheelchair tennis competitions, 4.7 for youth tournaments and 5 for women’s and men’s singles tournaments.
On Melbourne’s three main courts (Rod Laver, Margaret Court and John Cain), play resumes as soon as the retractable roof closes and the air conditioning turns on.
Defending champion Italian Jannik Sinner (world number 2) struggled against American Eliot Spizzirri in the third round on Saturday, having to play the first two sets outdoors before turning the game in his favor when the roof of Rod Laver Arena was closed.
If the thermal stress limit is reached on adjacent courts, the game will be suspended until the referee considers the conditions suitable for its resumption.
To comply with this rule, outdoor games were suspended for around five hours on Saturday.
The referee must inform the players about the resumption of the match at least half an hour in advance.
When the heat stress index reaches level 4 (3.9 in youth and 3.6 in wheelchair tennis), games are not suspended, but players are entitled to a break to cool down at the end of the second set in the women’s category and at the end of the third set in the men’s category.
Tuesday’s main attractions will be the first four quarter-final games of the men’s and women’s groups.
Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Coco Gauff will return to the court and play their respective games at the Rod Laver Arena, which has a retractable roof.
It remains to be seen whether the heat stress index will reach level 5 and, if that happens, how many sets the circuit’s stars will play outdoors before the courts close.
Weather forecasts indicate that thermometers could reach 40° C.
In addition to the first quarterfinal duels, almost 60 games (junior, wheelchair, legends) are scheduled for Tuesday on adjacent courts, all subject to interruptions due to the heat.
