http://2012.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2012-01-24/201201231327301637618.html
Hot days are here again
Tuesday, 24 January, 2012
By Nicholas McCarvel
By Nicholas McCarvel
Perta Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the change of ends in her match against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, Day 8, 23 January 2012.
Getty Images
It seems no Australian Open can be complete without a few blazing hot days of summer heat enveloping Melbourne Park, likening the tennis courts to a sizzling pan on the stove. And this year’s tournament is no different.
With the first few days serving rather tempered temperatures, the heat has settled in on the Australian Open over the weekend, forcing players to take extra precautions to make sure they’re at their best – and stay on their feet – as temperatures continue to climb.
Temperatures reached as high as 33 on Monday and stayed above 30 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Such figures translate to just around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
“God it was hot,” exclaimed Martina Navratilova following her Legends’ Doubles match. “Geez, I don't know how they do it. I've just been practicing indoors, and it was brutal. It wasn't hot enough for them to close the roof. I'm like, ‘bloody hell.’ Glad I'm not playing anymore. I don't know how they do it.”
In the steamy conditions a hat-wearing Serena Williams was bundled out of the Open by unknown Russian Ekaterina Makarova. She contributed part of her lacklustre performance to the boiling temperatures.
“It was definitely hot out there,” a dejected Williams said after her loss.
Despite the high temperatures, the Extreme Heat Policy (EHP) was not in effect on Monday. The EHP takes a variety of measurements into consideration, including the humidity on site, as well as the temperature itself using what’s called the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. To be put into effect, the tournament referee will make a decision once the Wet Bulb reading reaches 28.
“The weather man gives us what the time is, what the temperature is and what the Wet Bulb Globe reading is every hour,” Tournament Director Craig Tiley said. “The measurement is right on site.”
“We watch the Wet Bulb all the time, up to the minute,” said tournament meteorologist Bob Leighton. “The Wet Bulb has been around 28 today, but a breeze out there too. It’s only about 31 or 32 degrees”
Breeze or no breeze, it was a hot day Monday. Few clouds in the sky made the sun ever more powerful as fans around the grounds were encouraged to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen often.
Over the years, the EHP has been shifted to give players more of a reprieve. In 2009 it was changed from stating that matches that had already started before the policy was put into effect must be finished completely. Now matches that are on court when the EHP is put into effect only have to finish the set they’re currently in.
One of the most famous hot-weather matches in recent memory was Maria Sharapova’s epic first-round win over Frenchwoman Camille Pin in Rod Laver Arena. Temperatures that day soared close to 40 degrees as Sharapova eeked out a 9-7 in-the-third win.
"Sometimes when it's that hot your mind doesn't work properly,” said Sharapova, who admitted to having trouble seeing after the match.
““I went out on the court and remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, I don’t know how she is playing out there,’” Tiley said of the Sharapova match. “It was so hot. We had to be careful to make sure and cool the players off – it was fairly extreme.”
So extreme that the EHP was changed from a stance that matches had to finish in completion to what it is today.
Players are hyper-aware of the heat in Australia. Tournament doctor Tim Wood said that the fact that most players are coming from the Northern Hemisphere’s winter to a January summer in Melbourne doesn’t help them in the heat.
“We’ve never had anyone at this tournament that has needed to be taken to the hospital for serious heat stroke,” Wood said. “It takes the body 10 days to acclimatize to the heat. More and more [players] are coming to Australia earlier to acclimatize.”
Australian upstart Bernard Tomic made his distaste for the heat known earlier in the tournament.
“I think, you know, during the day [session] you've got to survive. You're not only playing the player, you're playing the heat as well.”
Fans did their best to stay out of the sun on Monday, crowds in both Rod Laver and Hisense Arenas populating the shaded seats more than those in the sun. But for the players? There’s little shade on court during a hot afternoon of tennis.
- Bodhibrian Souter · Top Commenterits time the policy of baking and frying players was reviewed,,, take the policy makers out of their air conditioned offices, and have them play a few rounds of tennis in 30 degree heat, and see how they feel about the current heat policy.
- Liz BilsonIt seems all these venues that have operable roofs only close them due to rain. These players are working hard enough just playing tennis let alone having to combat extreme heat as well.
- Nasir Agun · IEU Jakarta (angkatan II)I LIKE AUSTRALIAN OPEN. VERY GOOD, ESPECIALLY LIVE BROADCAST FOR NEVERY MATCH OF THE TENNIS PLAYER.
- Sylvia Seschel · Top CommenterI think maybe they should start closing the roof more often. not just for the players but for the fans to sit there. I can't sit in the sun like I used to anymore and if I was there, that roof closer would be a welcoming relief.
- Sue Schutte · Top Commenter · Chesterfield, VirginiaSo much for the roof.....duh. Lucky no one has gone to the hospital, perhaps they are waiting for just that.
- Suzanne Marcello Rouleau"Fairly extreme" were the words of Tournament Director Craig Tiley, not the article's author. :/Reply · · January 24, 2012 at 10:51am
- Jonathan Scott · Indianapolis, IndianaSuzanne Marcello Rouleau I am aware. The author and I are friends.Reply · · January 24, 2012 at 11:11am
- Manique Amerasinghe Corteling · Platinum Founding Member/Director at Polaris GlobalCan some one die from heat exhaustion?
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