Insanely high temperatures in Melbourne have forced players and fans to adapt
Grand Slam tennis is one of the most grueling things an athlete can go through. It is two weeks of high octane tennis, and you're alone on that island forced to run down shot after shot for hours on end. Add a little heat to those already brutal conditions and the game is almost impossible, and that is what players are going through right now at the Australian Open.
Court temperatures have been in the 100s already in Melbourne, forcing a lot of fans and players alike to take up creative ways to deal with the heat.
Some have tried to adjust to the heat, taking down a lot more liquid during their match, while others, like Roger Federer, are just dealing with it.
“Depending on where you come from it has a bigger effect on you, this type of heat, than maybe humid heat,” Federer said after his opening round win on Tuesday. “So it’s very personal, and it can become just a very mental thing and you just can’t accept that it’s hot. Just deal with it, because it’s the same for both.”
The heat has already seen Frank Dancevic of Canada collapse on court, as has a ball boy, and China's Peng Shuai was seen vomiting on court because of the weather.
With temperatures expected to continue to rise over the next two days, believe that these creative measures will continue with players simply trying to survive their time on these extremely warm tennis courts in Australia.
