Outdoor Play Suspended At Australian Open Due To Extreme Heat
Update: Conditions have improved at Melbourne Park. Outdoor matches will be called at 4:50 p.m. local time for 5 p.m. resumption of play.
Play has been suspended on the outside courts at the Australian Open Tuesday afternoon when the AO Heat Stress Scale reached 5.
Play continued until the end of an even number of games or the completion of a tie-break. No new matches will be called to the outside courts. Play has also been suspended on outdoor practice courts. On Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena, play has continued under closed roofs.
Under the tournament’s Extreme Heat Policy, the Referee will continually review the conditions and the policy to determine when play on outdoor courts can be resumed. Once that decision is made, players will be given at least 30 minutes’ notice before play resumes.
The AO Heat Stress Scale takes into account air temperature, radiant heat (strength of the sun), humidity and wind speed, which affect a player’s ability to disperse heat from their body. Those factors are measured in real time across five different locations across the Melbourne Park precinct.