Murray warning as heat-related incidents mar Australian Open
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, January 15, 2014
Andy Murray warned organizers were risking a tragedy as extreme temperatures caused players to faint and vomit in a day of extraordinary scenes at the Australian Open.
The Scot queried whether it was safe to play in temperatures which touched 42.2 Celsius.
"Whether it's safe or not, I don't know. You've just got to be very careful these days," said the world No. 4 after his first-round 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win against Japan's Go Soeda. "There's been some issues in other sports with, you know, players having heart attacks. I don't know exactly why that is. Or collapsing."
Untoward incidents littered the day and overshadowed the conclusion of round one at Melbourne Park.
Severe heat dominated discussions after Canada's Frank Dancevic felt dizzy and then blacked out during his loss to Benoit Paire.
"I think it's inhumane, I don't think it's fair to anybody, to the players, to the fans, to the sport, when you see players pulling out of matches, passing out," he complained. "I've played five-set matches all my life and being out there for a set-and-a-half and passing out with heat-stroke, it's not normal."
"I couldn't keep my balance anymore and I leaned over the fence, and when I woke up people were all around me," he said.
After receiving medical attention, Dancevic returned to the match and lost in straight sets.
"It's hazardous to be out there. It's dangerous," Dancevic said, criticizing the tournament for not having suspended play. "Until somebody dies, they're just going to keep playing matches in this heat."
A ball boy collapsed during Milos Raonic's win over Daniel Gimeno-Travers, and China's Peng Shuai cramped up and vomited before losing to Japan's Kumuri Nara.
"I had no energy, I couldn't run, I couldn't serve," Peng said, blaming the heat for her defeat. "So it's impossible to play tennis like this."
Officials said because humidity remained low, they chose not to invoke emergency rules which allow them to halt play and close the roofs on the center and second court. Temperatures are set to remain above 40 Celsius for the next three days.
"Of course there were a few players who experienced heat-related illness or discomfort, but none required significant medical intervention after they had completed their match," said chief medical officer Tim Wood.
In the stifling conditions, Polona Hercog was one of a number of retirements. The Slovak won only one point and was on court for 10 minutes before she pulled out with a right shoulder problem.
The scorching heat thinned crowds at Melbourne Park and prompted players to cool off between points with bags of ice on their heads or draped over their necks. Little relief was expected this week.
"I put the (water) bottle down on the court and it started melting a little bit underneath — the plastic. So you know it was warm," former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki said. "It felt like I was playing in a sauna."
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