The Australian Open officials invoked the "Extreme Heat Policy" for the first time, after the Melbourne heat temperature hit 43 degree Celsius on Thursday. The game was eventually called off after a huge storm broke out.
Melbourne is known for its unpredictable weather conditions, and one such example was seen on the fourth day of Australian Open. A heat wave hit the city Tuesday and weather forecasts predict the fuming temperatures above 40 degrees to extend till Friday before any likely drop in temperature on the weekend. The agonizing hot weather did not stop the game play on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the organizers, who were slammed for forcing players to play in such weather conditions, passed the "Extreme Heat Policy" for the first time on Thursday mid-afternoon.
The play was halted for more than four hours before a huge storm broke out, which forced the play to be called off for the day. The retractable roofs on Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena allowed the main court games to continue. Players including No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 Roger Federer and No. 2 Victoria Azarenka continued the game indoors, Maria Sharapova played her match on Rod Laver Arena for 50 minutes. Sharapova also revealed that she almost fainted during her second-round single match against Italy's Karin Knapp, which finished off with Sharapova victory at 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.
Twelve matches scheduled for the day were postponed as a result of the weather conditions.
All players who were put on the court in the fuming sun complained about feeling dizzy, head spins, blurred vision and dehydration. Sharapova who played in 43 degrees was seen cooling off with ice vests and ice collars.
"I remember thinking I was going to pass out but I feel much better now," Sharapova said to Yahoo Sport in a courtside interview. "You just get numb to it. The recovery now is going to be really important."
Meteorologists estimated that the heat waves stretching from Tuesday till the weekend to be the longest since 1908. The crowd at Melbourne Park dramatically dipped compared to Monday, when the temperature was 31 degrees. Day 1 at the Melbourne Park attracted 63,595 people, day 2 of the game hosted 53,627 people, owing to 42 degree temperature and on Wednesday there were 49,860 in the audience. Surprisingly on Thursday the crowd slightly increased despite the maximum temperature, up to 53,226, but according to Online Athens the numbers were contributed mainly by the night crowd.
