* Extreme heat policy will come into play once mercury rises over 40-degree Celsius mark * Margaret Court Arena gets retractable roof
Last year, temperatures consistently hovered above 40 degrees at Melbourne Park. And with players and officials literally fainting, organisers of the Australian Open were facing the heat. Often referred to as the 'Happy Slam' and 'Fans Slam' for obvious reasons, the season's first mega tennis tournament is ready for the 2015 edition.
The 'Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific' is now 'weatherproof' with the installation of a third retractable roof. The roof, installed on the Margaret Court Arena, will see matches continuing even in extreme weather conditions. What is also highly commendable is that the roof will shut in just five minutes, thereby making it the fastest in the world.
With heat and humidity being the major challenges, Craig Tiley, tournament director and chief executive of Tennis Australia, is up for it. "A player of the stature of Roger Federer, a four-time winner at Melbourne, calls the Australian Open a 'Happy Slam'. We want people and players to enjoy their two weeks here. We did face a lot of problems regarding the heat last year and we needed to put things right. If we're going to make sure the quality of the tournament increases with every passing year, we need to invest in the very best facilities," Tiley tells dna.
Tiley & Co. have made sure that no one complains about the heat this time round. The organisers have also taken into account the players who won't be playing under the retractable roofs. "The heat policy is implemented at the referee's discretion. The only difference from last year is that matches currently in progress will continue until the end of an even number of games in that set or completion of the tie-break. At the completion of the same, play will be suspended. The matches will then be shifted to either of the three showcourts (Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and Margaret Court Arena). It means that the Melbourne Park precinct is the only Grand Slam venue in the world with three courts like this. The entire tournament can be played between these courts. But we hope it isn't as hot as it was in 2014," Tiley adds.
Earlier, there was no set temperature to for the extreme heat policy to come into play, with the decision left to the discretion of the referee. This led to widespread criticism, with players complaining of "inhuman" conditions. "It needs to be more than 40 degrees Celsius with the humidity exceeding 32.5 per cent. We have kept it as transparent as possible now. It'll be the same for everyone," Tiley explains.
Here's more good news: the organisers have increased the prize money for the men's and women's champions by 10 per cent, with each raking in a cool $3 million. The total prize pool has risen to $36 million, making it the highest prize money for a tennis tournament. "Our aim was to assist players who aren't ranked. These are the ones who don't have lucrative sponsorship deals and struggle to cover expenses."
Did you know?
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam to have an Extreme Heat Policy. It was first introduced in 1998.
The decision on implementing the heat policy will take into account the forecast once the ambient temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, and the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) reading exceeds 32.5.
When conditions exceed these levels the tournament referee will have the absolute discretion on whether or not to apply the extreme heat policy.
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