MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australian Open organisers have tweaked their ‘Extreme Heat Policy’ for next year’s tournament after being accused of forcing players to perform in “inhumane” conditions during a heatwave in January.
Despite water bottles melting, ballboys collapsing and players vomiting and passing out when temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for four days at this year’s tournament, play was stopped for only four hours on the outer courts.
There was a groundswell of criticism from players, mainly over the lack of transparency about when the policy would be implemented as it was entirely at the discretion of the tournament referee and not triggered by temperatures reaching a certain level.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said yesterday the addition of a roof over a third showcourt, the Margaret Court Arena, would mitigate the effects of hot weather and he hoped the changes to the policy would make matters clearer to players.
