As the temperature climbed to 35C on Tuesday, the second round of the ongoing Australian Open in Melbourne was suspended for three hours on all outdoor courts.
Officials decided it was too risky to play competitive tennis in such conditions and halted all play on the outside courts as a result of the intense heat.
The decision was made just before 2.15pm local time, or 3.15am GMT, and the matches couldn’t resume until after 5pm.
The Australian Open Heat Stress Index, which takes into account the severity of the sun, air temperature in the shade, relative humidity, and wind speed, reportedly hit its highest level of five, forcing the tournament referee to take action.
Singles players were given the option to take a 10-minute rest break when it reached four.
The second and third sets of the women’s matches were where this point fell for them.
On Rod Laver Arena, the beginning of Andy Murray vs. Matteo Berrettini’s match was permitted.
It was okay to continue games at the roofed Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.
