Anyone have any thoughts so far?

Is Bernard Tomic a big sissy or just protecting himself from further injury?


This afternoon they have suspended play on the outside courts and only play with the roof over the main court due to excessive temperatures. Does anyone think it's a bit late and should have been done a couple days ago too when players and a ballboy collapsed in the heat. Just seems so dangerous.
Is it such a silly idea NOT to have the tournament in the middle of summer and to move it into February when there's less chance of such extremes?
I probably shouldn't complain .. because of these high temps (and it's hotter here than Melbourne) I do get to sit in front of the TV in the arvo and watch the tennis

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/austr...0116-30wl6.html

Sissy or not, he certainly didn't win any new fans with his performance. I don't think he realizes that just because he's an Aussie doesn't automatically mean he'll have the Aussie fans 100% behind him. He needs some stren advice otherwise he's at real risk of squandering his talent (IMHO!).

I've heard a suggestion that many of the matches be pushed later in the day to avoid the worst of the heat - the problem there is that the mercury has been maxing at around 5 pm. I do think the Aussie Open management need to recognise that there is a point when players are in physical danger. Yes, fitness work in preparation for the Melbourne summertime SHOULD be rewarded but not by placing players at risk of major harm. What the temperature is, I'm not a medical person. 40C (104F)? bearing in mind that the on-court temperature would be hotter than that.

Copago, I like the option of playing the tournament a little later but I don't think that the TV networks and/or the tournament schedule would allow that.

Forecast maximum temperature tomorrow is again 44C (111 F) in Melbourne before a late change and much cooler conditions. If it does exceed 41, that will be 4 days in a row - the longest super-hot streak in over 100 years. But yes, Copago, knowing where you are, these extremes are probably not quite so bad!

To be fair to Tomic, Nadal said after the match that he could tell while they were playing that Tomic wasn't 100%.

I think it's just because of his previous "spoilt brat" reputation that it was perceived worse than it might have been otherwise.

I do not have a lot of sympathy for him. Just imagine being a Swede coming from mid-winter and trying to adapt to the extreme temperature. Let's face it, it is likely to be hot in Melbourne in January, because it is summertime- that is not really a secret.

If they played the US Open at this time of the year, players would be complaining about ice on the court...

Maybe that's why they don't do any tennis events in Texas during July or August...it consistently maxes out over 95°F (35°C), and it's not out of the realm of possibility to see 105°F (40.5°C) or more on occasion. Granted, here in Dallas, it has only reached 111°F (44°C) five times (two at 113°F, two at 112°F, and once at 111°F), but it's possible...if the humidity gets low enough.

Have they thought about doing the matches in the mornings and suspending play at around 2pm local time?

Someone originally from Sweden going to Australia in January will definitely be in for a culture shock as far as temperatures go...it could be a 100°+ swing!

Melbourne is heading for 44* today (118F? I was always told double it add thirty) but there must be a hell of a cool change going through with it only heading for 23* tomorrow.

Don't worry .. I'll get into the actual tennis in the second week ... I am always a bit bored in the first week of a tournament until the big names start playing each other.

Yes, 73°F is a far cry from 111°F. Best way to go about it is when you add 1°C, add 1.8°F.

So...in groups of ten...
-40°C = -40°F
-30°C = -22°F
-20°C = -04°F
-10°C = +14°F
+-0°C = +32°F
+10°C = +50°F
+20°C = +68°F
+30°C = +86°F
+40°C = 104°F
+50°C = 122°F