German tennis ace Andrea Petkovic dramatically collapses in the middle of a match and has to retire as players bake in the summer heat at the Australian Open
- She collapsed to court in middle of match as temperatures pushed 30 degrees
- The world no. 64 lay on the ground before medical officials rushed to her aid
- Petkovic was unable to continue after leading opponent by a set in Melbourne
- Australian Open has introduced a new scale to monitor heat stress on players
German tennis star Andrea Petkovic collapsed to the court during her first round singles match as the Australian Open was baked by blistering heat on Monday.
The world No. 64 had already won the first set against Irina-Camelia Begu 7-6 and was midway through a game in the second when she suddenly tumbled to the ground.
Appearing to gasp for air as she kneeled on the court, the 31-year-old then rolled onto her back clearly in pain before medical officials rushed to her aid.
German tennis star Andrea Petkovic collapsed to the court (pictured) during her first round singles match as the Australian Open was baked by blistering heat on Monday
Appearing to gasp for air as she kneeled on the court, the 31-year-old then rolled onto her back clearly in pain before medical officials rushed to her aide (pictured)
Petkovic got to her feet but was unable to continue and gingerly hobbled over to Begu to congratulate her on victory.
The German is believed to have suffered heat stroke, although there is yet to be any official confirmation.
This is not the first time the 2014 French Open semi-finalist has struggled to play in the Melbourne heat.
Last year, she said she struggled to think properly during a match.
Temperatures were tipped to hit 35 degrees in Melbourne by the Bureau of Meteorology – coinciding with the first two days of the tournament.
The mercury ended up not reaching quite as high as the forecast, with a high of 32.1 degrees reported for the Victorian city at 4.30pm by Weatherzone.
This is not the first time the 2014 French Open semi-finalist has struggled to play in the Melbourne heat (pictured Petkovic being escorted from the court after retiring from match on Monday)
Australian Open officials have introduced a new policy called the AOHeat Stress Scale in 2019.
The policy enforces a ten-minute break between the second and third sets when the scale hits four.
A heat stress rating of five could mean the suspension of matches on outside courts.