![]() Nine players retired during the second day, while Daniel Gimeno-Traver carried off a ball boy who fainted during his match and Peng Shuai was amongst many throughout the tournament that required medical attention. Ivan Dodig, who also collapsed and was forced to retire, said afterwards that he feared he might die in the extreme conditions. Frank Dancevic, who began to hallucinate and collapse during his 6–7 (12–14), 3–6, 4–6 loss to Benoît Paire, described the conditions as "inhumane" while severely criticising the policy, and Andy Murray voiced his concerns about people's safety, stating that "it only takes one bad thing to happen". The extreme heat policy came under criticism during the 2014 Australian Open after ballboys, attendants in the stands, and players were suffering various heat-related illnesses due to four consecutive days with highs between 41.5 and 43.9 ☌ (106.7 and 111.0 ☏), but organizers claimed the humidity remained low enough on all but one day for the policy not to be enforced tournament referee Wayne McKewen said that "While conditions were hot and uncomfortable, the relatively low level of humidity ensured that conditions never deteriorated to a point where it was necessary to invoke the extreme heat policy". Play was suspended on all courts that did not have a roof. The policy was invoked on day 2 of the 2023 tournament was temperatures reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit with a feel of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The policy was invoked several times in 2009, the hottest tournament to date with an average temperature of 34.7 ☌ (94.5 ☏). The policy was further changed in 2008 to allow play to be stopped only at the discretion of the tournament referee, rather than relying solely on temperature and WBGT calculations. Prior to that a match already underway had to be completed. Play was halted for the minimum 2 hours.Īfter the extreme heat policy was invoked in consecutive years in 20, the policy was again changed starting in 2008 to allow matches in progress to be halted at the conclusion of the set. The new policy was invoked on Januon a day when the temperature reached 37 ☌ (99 ☏) and the WBGT reached the 28 ☌ (82 ☏) mark. īeginning with the 2003 tournament the policy was changed to 35 ☌ (95 ☏) and a WBGT of 28 ☌ (82 ☏). The 2002 women's final was played in 35 ☌ (95 ☏) heat, which triggered a 10-minute break between the 2nd and 3rd sets but no halt in play. In 1998, a new policy was implemented calling for play on all courts to be stopped if the temperature reached 40 ☌ (104 ☏). The heat rule was first invoked during the quarterfinal round in 1997. Officials considered closing the roof for the final in 1993 due to a temperature of 40 ☌ (104 ☏), but Jim Courier threatened to boycott the match unless the roof remained open. This effectively meant that the heat policy could only go in effect in the quarterfinals or later in the tournament. The initial heat policy allowed for the roof to be closed when the temperature rose above 39 ☌ (102 ☏) or at the referee's discretion when the temperature rose above 35 ☌ (95 ☏), but only for daytime matches and only once all singles matches could be scheduled inside Rod Laver Arena. ![]() In 1988, Rod Laver Arena opened making the Australian Open the first Grand Slam to feature a retractable roof. There will also be a retractable roof available on Margaret Court Arena for the first time. When the policy is implemented, matches will now be halted after an even number of games in the set, rather than at the conclusion of the set. WBGT charts show that the new threshold may not be triggered even if the temperature reaches 50 ☌ (122 ☏) when there is no humidity. Its current iteration was first implemented in 2019 and uses a scale of 1 to 5 that accounts for the physiological variances between adults, wheelchair, and junior athletes while also taking into account the four climate factors – air temperature, radiant heat or the strength of the sun, humidity, and wind speed – which affect a player’s ability to disperse heat from their body.įollowing severe criticism of the handling of the 2014 Australian Open, organisers increased the temperature threshold from the 2003 level of 35 to 40 ☌ (95 to 104 ☏) and increased the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) threshold from the 2003 level of 28 to 32.5 ☌ (82 to 91 ☏) to allow for more continuous play and fewer stoppages in the future. It was introduced in 1998 after consultation with a number of tennis players. The Extreme Heat Policy is a rule pertaining to the Australian Open ( tennis). Rod Laver Arena, the centre court, in the background. Margaret Court Arena in 2005 at the Australian Open before its renovation and change of court surface.
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