Australian Open - "Does something have to happen first?"
Already on the first day of qualifying for the Australian Open 2020 in Melbourne, several players had problems with the conditions affected by the bush fire.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 14, 2020, 12:05 pm
Dalia Jakupovic was actually not far from having a good start to the Australian Open 2020. The young Slovenian led in her first qualifying match on Tuesday 6: 4 and 5: 6 against the Swiss Stefanie Vögele, with a bit of luck and skill her appearance could have been over in a few minutes, she would be her dream of starting the main field come a good deal closer. But instead of moving silently into the second round of applications, Jakupovic, number 180 in the world rankings, was later the main actress at the Grand Slam venue later that day - albeit quite involuntarily, for completely wrong reasons.
For the first time in tennis history, a professional player failed not because of her opponent or one of the typical sports injuries, but because of the environment. To be more precise: in smoky, dangerously bad breath, as a result of the catastrophic bushfires on the fifth continent. And so it was not surprising that the pictures of Dalia Jakupovic kneeling, panting, coughing on the floor finally went around the world, a player who simply could not continue and wanted in the smoke of Melbourne. "I was afraid to collapse. So I went down. I couldn't walk anymore, "said Jakupovic later," I have no asthma and never had breathing problems. "According to Jakupovic, you don't understand," why you sent us out there. "
Svitolina has no understanding
With which the Slovenian was not alone. Because in player circles and also on social media the outrage about the organizers of the Grand Slam spectacle quickly broke out. "Actually, something has to happen before you act," tweeted the 2018 WTA World Champion, Elina Svitolina, angrily. Luxembourg's Mandy Minella accused the organizers of having unnecessarily enforced the program, as there was still enough buffer in the qualifying tournament, for example next Saturday and Sunday: "I am shocked to see that the qualification has really started. What about the health of the ball kids? ”Belgian Steve Darcis referred to advice from the local health authority that warned Melbourne's citizens to avoid outdoor stays if possible:“ To tell everyone to stay indoors - and then that Unwind program. Very well done. ”Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and Australian Bernard Tomic also had to get treatment in their qualification matches due to health problems. In nearby Kooyong Stadium, the former venue for the Australian Open, a foam match between Maria Sharapova and Laura Siegemund was cut short canceled before match end. "I felt very uncomfortable," said Sharapova.
For a few years, the city's commercials, where Melbourne's election as the most livable city on the planet was celebrated and celebrated, had been enjoyed during the Australian Open. The fact in January 2020, however, was that the metropolis of millions, like the night of January 14, 2020, had the world's worst air quality, worse and more critical than, for example, in the notorious megacities in India or South America. Oddly enough: while the show went on among tennis professionals, only disturbed by an hour's break in qualification and the cancellation of training exercises, the construction workers' union put a stop to work. In some areas of the city, the daily newspaper “The Age” reported that smoke detectors had even been activated due to air pollution from the bush fires.
It was astonishing, France's well-known professional Gilles Simon remarked, that there were doctors who would continue playing under these conditions. Tennis Australia, the organizer of the Australian Open, issued a statement that all decisions had been made in close consultation with the authorities and medical professionals: "This will also happen in the next few days." According to the local environmental protection agency, the situation should improve on Wednesday afternoon, then rain is also expected in Melbourne.