The heat rule comes into force at the Australian Open and ‘helps’ Jannik Sinner in the third round match against the American Elliot Spizzirri. The Italian, struggling with cramps in the third set, recovered and prevailed in 4 sets in the match that began outdoors and ended with the roof closed and the air conditioning on in the Rod Laver Arena. “I got lucky,” says Sinner, who actually simply benefited from having the rules in place for all players.
The rules at the Australian Open
The Australian Open has had a new policy for managing playing conditions in extreme heat since 2019. During the tournament, parameters are in place to determine when conditions have become too challenging and when players’ health may be at risk. The measurement scale includes 4 parameters: external radiant heat (or the intensity of the sun), shaded air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. These values are measured at various points around Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is played.
The five levels
There are 5 levels, characterized by the same number of colours. Green level: ideal conditions, play. Blue level: special hydration for athletes. Orange Level: Players can resort to specific solutions to cool down. Red level: game pauses become longer. Black level: the game must be suspended. In the latter case, further pauses may be introduced in an attempt to restart the match, or it may be definitively suspended.
At Melbourne Park, Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena are equipped with air conditioning, each of which has retractable roofs that can be closed if necessary. Tournament officials may decide to stop the game and close the roof, allowing play to continue in the event of extreme heat or bad weather. And this is precisely what happened during the challenge between Sinner and Spizzirri.
The other Slam tournaments
Each Slam tournament adopts different solutions. At Wimbledon, the threshold is represented by the temperature of 30.1 degrees: when it is reached, a 10-minute break can be added between certain sets, also at the request of the players.
Protocol similar to the US Open: 10-minute breaks between the third and fourth sets for men’s singles and between the second and third sets for women’s and junior singles. Even in New York you can play indoors, the roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium and the Louis Armstrong Stadium closes in extreme conditions, also linked to bad weather. At Roland Garros, the roof closes on the center back, Philippe Chatrier, from 2020.