Australian Open: Extreme heat - game interruption on the outdoor courts
The notorious "heat policy" took effect on the second day of the Australian Open - the highest level on the five-point heat stress scale was reached.
by SID/red.
last edit: Jan 17, 2023, 06:04 am
Extreme heat with temperatures around 36 degrees on Tuesday led to an interruption in the matches on the outdoor courts of the Australian Open. Around 2:00 p.m. local time (4:00 a.m. CET), measured values measured the highest of the five-stage heat stress scale of the tournament in Melbourne, which includes a total of four climatic factors.
In addition to air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and wind speed are also constantly recorded at five different points in Melbourne Park. These affect players' abilities to conduct heat away from the body. Before the matches are interrupted, cooling measures are applied or the game breaks are extended according to the heat stress scale.
Struff, Maria, Siegemund and Grabher have to wait
The break in the game also affected the start of the matches between Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria and Laura Siegemund on Tuesday. The encounter between Austria's Julia Grabher and Estonia's Anett Kontaveit was interrupted when the score was 1-1 in the first set.
Alexander Zverev's first-round game against Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas, on the other hand, was scheduled for the Margaret Court Arena , which, like the Rod Laver Arena and the John Cain Arena, has a roof. Play continued on these pitches.
laver arena