On Tuesday, the Australian Open 2023 suspended play on the outdoor courts when the AO Heat Stress Scale reached 5.
Play proceeded until either a tie-break or an even number of games were played. However, no more games will be referred to the outdoor courts. At Rod Laver, Margaret Court, and John Cain Arenas, play continued despite the roofs being closed.
To determine when play can resume on outdoor courts, the referee considers the circumstances as well as the Australian Open’s Extreme Heat Policy. The decision will be announced to the players, and they will be given at least 30 minutes’ warning before play may pick back up.
The AO Heat Stress Scale takes into account factors that affect a player’s capacity to expel heat from their body, including air temperature, humidity, radiant heat (sunshine strength), and wind speed. In five distinct places around the Melbourne Park precinct, those variables are tracked in real-time.
According to a tweet from the Australian Open, the heat policy was implemented at 1:12 p.m. when the AO Heat Stress Scale reached a 4. Women can take a 10-minute break between the second and third sets of their matches, while men can do so between the third and fourth. In addition to using the showers and changing rooms, players can choose to stay on the court.
“Play will be halted on the outdoor courts once the AO Heat Stress Scale reaches a 5.” This indicates that the game goes on until an even number of games are played or a tiebreak is finished. There will be no more matches summoned to the court. Furthermore, play is not permitted on the outdoor practice courts. Throughout the remaining games that are now being played, the roofs at RLA, MCA, and JCA will be closed. Play on the outside courts doesn’t start until 5 o’clock. To determine whether play can resume on outdoor courts, the referee will keep an eye on the AO-Heat Stress Scale.
The organisation said that the referee “may decide to keep the roof closed for any upcoming matches on RLA, MCA, and JCA.”
