ATP Cup organizers fear the effects of the bush fires
The sustained heavy bushfires in the catchment area of the Australian metropolis Sydney may have an impact on the tennis professionals' first ATP Cup.
by SID
last edit:
Dec 30, 2019, 05:37 pm
The organizers are particularly concerned about the smoke development and the resulting air pollution. Tournament director Tom Larner told The Australian newspaper that when the going gets tough, game abandonment and postponement should be considered.
In addition to Perth in Western Australia and Brisbane, further north in the state of Queensland, Sydney is one of the three venues for the ATP Cup, in which 24 national teams will take part from 3 January. Germany with Alexander Zverev is playing their preliminary round matches in Brisbane, which is not affected by the bush fires and the smoke they produce. The final round will take place in Sydney on January 9th.
Dimitrov unimpressed
"We would interrupt the games and continue them later in the day," said Larner about the impending impairment of the matches in Sydney and added: "We will take the upcoming weather, wind and rain into account, and the decisions will then be made by our medical experts on the facility . " The Ken Rosewall Arena, which was renovated for 50 million Australian dollars (37 million euros), is roofed, but not closed between the stands and the roof.
The Bulgarian team captain and world ranking 20th Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, was not impressed by the possible impairments at his Sydney venue. "It is as it is. You cannot control these things. As a professional, you are here to play and it is obviously the most important thing to focus on," he said at the presentation of the ATP Cup in Sydney.
Influence on the Australian Open?
The smoke from around 100 bushfires in the state of New South Wales has already led to the cancellation of two sporting events in Australia. On December 21, the cricket game between the Sydney Thunder and the Adelaide Strikers in the Australian capital Canberra was canceled after thick smoke had spread over the stadium. The "Big Boat Challenge", the "warm-up" event for the Sydney-Hobart sailing regatta, had previously been canceled on December 10 for safety reasons.
In the meantime, the organizers of the Australian Open in Melbourne (from January 20) have to consider influences from the bushfires. On Monday, the fire brigade, according to the AFP news agency, called on around 100,000 residents in five suburbs of the country's second largest city to take themselves to safety.