Silly moi!

I was under the impression that tennis was about playing well, with skill and strategy against a human opponent. A tennis match was meant to be something exciting to behold rather than a gruesome gladiator type contest in which players fight against the elements and risk their lives to remain conscious.

To watch the tennis players struggle against the Melbourne heatwave has been painful and, in my opinion, horrifying.

I would not have been surprised if a player had died from dehydration and I have been told that several of them could not take the infernal conditions of Melbourne.

There were three days of torture before the organisers decided that perhaps a temperature of over 42 degrees Celsius, and so much higher on the court, was dangerous for playing tennis.

At last, yesterday, the roof was closed in the main court but that was very late and inconsiderate. There was ridiculous confusion among the players because nobody could tell them how long they would have to endure this inhumane Inferno.

What a disgrace!

How ironic that at the same time that the Australian Open organisers failed to do the right thing, there were constant health warnings in the media directed at the general population about remembering to stay cool and hydrated and to not do anything stupid!

It’s a shame that the Australian Open “powers-that-be” were deaf to sound advice.

PS
and to all those intrepid souls who declare “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen,” my reply would be “why not install an air conditioner?”

PPS
Today the unbearable temperature was the same as yesterday but play on all courts continued. Go figure…