Novak Djokovic, who sits on the Association of Tennis Professionals player council says the Australian Open may need to be postponed as players continue to struggle to compete due to the smoke-filled air, as Russian star Maria Sharapova has her match cancelled due to the poor conditions.
Bushfires have ravaged Australia in the build-up to the tournament, which is due to start on January 20, with 27 people dead and more than 2,000 homes destroyed.
Players reported that they had been feeling sick while training but today’s practice schedule still seemed to be running at full capacity, with sessions still being scheduled from 11am to 7.30pm local time.
The majority of practice sessions are schedule for outdoor courts throughout the day, with just a handful being on indoor courts.
The organisers had previously said the tournament would go on as planned despite air quality in Melbourne dropping to ‘the worst in the world’ overnight.
Tuesday’s play saw former world No 1 Maria Sharapova end her match at the Kooyong Classic against Laura Siegmund during the second set, which both players struggling to breathe properly, while Eugenie Bouchard took a medical time-out during qualifying for the Australian Open as she fell ill in the smoky conditions.
Maria Sharapova saw her match on Tuesday abandoned due to health concerns over smoke inhalation having seen the former world No 1 become unwell in the smoky conditions
Pictured in action on Tuesday, Sharapova had to bring the match to an end. It is clear players have been struggling with the worsening conditions
A spectator wears a mask as smoke haze shrouds Melbourne during an Australian Open practice session at Melbourne Park in Australia, Tuesday, Jan
Bernard Tomic of Australia receives medical attention in his match against Denis Kudla of the USA during 2020 Australian Open Qualifying at Melbourne Park on January 14
The Dunns Road Fire crowns the tops of a trees close near Maragle, Australia on Friday, Jan. 10. The relentlessness of the blazes is increasingly pushing Australia beyond crisis mode into anger and fatigue
A general view is seen of smoke haze from bushfires at Melbourne Park, venue of the Australian Open practice sessions, in Melbourne today
Novak Djokovic (pictured above) has said that the tournament might have to be pulled completely in order to protect players
Eugenie Bouchard was forced into taking a medical time-out during Australian Open qualifying due to the poor conditions caused by the smoke
Men’s world No 1 Novak Djokovic, who sits on the ATP Player Council, has already voiced his concerns for player safety and has suggested the tournament should be cancelled if smoke levels remain ‘hazardous’.
‘If it comes down to those conditions affecting the health of players, I think we should definitely consider it,’ Djokovic said on January 6, with what happened on Tuesday across multiple events unlikely to ease pressures on organisers.
Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who is preparing to appear in the main draw, condemned organisers on social media for putting players in a dangerous position.
‘I keep reading that it’s dangerous to play, to read messages from players saying it’s outrageous to play,’ he said.
‘I can’t judge I’m not there. but my question is this. Why are you going on the court?’
Elina Svitolina added: ‘Why do we need to wait for something bad to happen to do an action? #Melbourne.’
Reports in Australia say that an insurance policy would provide a nine-figure pay-out in the event of a tournament cancellation due to extreme weather conditions.
World No 82 Dalila Jakupovic was forced to quit her qualifying match after she was left ‘scared’ and distressed during an on-court coughing fit led to her decision to retire from the match while up a set on her opponent.
The decision to allow the match to take place saw organisers come under heavy criticism and things escalated thereafter with Sharapova and Bouchard high-profile players to see their health compromised.
‘Over two hours play and I actually started to feel a cough coming on at the end of the second set,’ Sharapova said after her match was abandoned.
‘But I thought maybe because I have been feeling sick for the last couple of weeks it was something to do with that.
‘Then, when I heard Laura (Siegmund) speak to the umpire about it saying she was struggling as well, I was like ‘OK, thankfully I am not the only one’.
‘The umpire came down and said to play one more game but we were out there for over two hours and I think for my health stand-point it was the right call from the officials.’
Bouchard, who was determined to see her qualifying match through as she beat You Xiadodi 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, found it ‘tough to breathe’ in the second set.
‘I definitely started feeling unwell,’ Bouchard said.
‘No cough, just heavy air, a bit tough to breathe and when you’re out of breath after a long, tough point I felt I couldn’t breathe well and that feeling made me a bit nauseous.’
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has insisted all the precuations to protect players are being taken and that smoke delays will be treated like rain or heat having delayed qualifiers by one hour on Tuesday morning.
Sharapova’s exhibition match in Kooyong was impacted by smoke from the nearby bushfires. The sky can be tinted brown above the court
Sharapova (left), with Laura Siegemund (right), talking to officials before the game is called off. Players had previously complained of feeling unwell
Dalila Jakupovic was in tears on the floor after being unable to continue at the Australian Open on Tuesday after her match was cancelled
The Slovenian is helped from the court by medical staff and later said she felt ‘scared’ on court due to the poor conditions caused by the smoke
Players were told not to practice outside due to the fog that has descended over Melbourne, but the practice schedule is still running at full
‘Like when it is too hot or when raining, play will be suspended should the above measures deem that necessary,’ Tiley said.
‘We are also consulting closely with the WTA and the ATP and the decision we made this morning, both tours supported those and recommended those,’ Tiley said. ‘This is a new experience for all of us, how we manage air quality, and therefore we have got to rely on those experts that advise us how best to continue.’
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria is being used along with a dedicated team on-site to establish the air quality and whether it is safe to put players out on court.
The EPA use five categories ranging from good to hazardous to determine the air quality and Melbourne is currently in the hazardous level.
Australian Open’s medical team and the Bureau of Meteorology are also conducting their own checks to determine the safety of play.
Air quality is calculated by measuring the average concentration of a pollutant in the air over one hour.
That figure is then compared to the measurement guideline or standard for separate categories from one to 10. The Air Pollution Index currently has Central London at 30, falling into the ‘good’ category of air quality.
Government advice to citizens in Melbourne and surrounding areas is to ‘minimise the time spent in smoky conditions whenever practical to do so,’ and it goes further to suggest they ‘avoid exercise’.
Tennis Australia was already forced to move a tournament in Canberra due to the damaging levels of smoke making the facility unusable for players and spectators.
A Big Bash League match between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers on December 22 was stopped and eventually abandoned due to smoke levels.
Formula One organisers are said to be closely monitoring the air quality in the coming days as fears grow over the the season opening race in Melbourne on March 15.
Non-sporting events including Day on the Green music festival in Victoria’s north-east has been forced into cancellation at the last minute due to the hazardous air quality and pressure is building on the Australian Open to delay the start of the tournament.
Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina criticised organisers by suggesting ‘something bad’ must happen for action is taken to protect players at the start of the 2020 season
Lucas Pouille was critical of a ‘scandalous’ decision to make players compete on Tuesday
Gilles Simon questioned the experts that were making the decision on the air quality