A bit of heat for the Australian Open tennis

Andy Murray is through to the second round of the Australian Open after beating Marchenko in the first round. The world number 1 will take on Russia’s Rublev next. Andy has been Runner Up a fair few times in recent times, could this be his year (again)?

At midnight, it was 22C 72F in Melbourne, day-time temperatures have been up into the high 30sCelsius.

Johanna Konta and Heather Watson are through to the second round of the women’s singles for GBR.  Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans are also through to second round of the men’s.

The Australian Open takes place in the middle of the summer, with excessive heat often hitting the headlines, never mind the tennis. Back in 2014 it nearly reached 43C (109F). Nine players withdrew in the first round, a ball boy fainted and Canadian Dancevic said he had hallucinations and passed out.

The Extreme Heat policy was invoked in 2014 and strongly debated either side of that tournament, so really this week’s high of 37.8C has been rather meek compared with previous years 40+C.

However, the weather in Victoria can vary greatly even within the fortnight with frontal systems moving up from the Southern Ocean bringing cooler air and rain or showers. The extreme heat builds from the interior, so there can be huge contrasts for the players. Many matches are played well into the evening, even overnight when a gruelling 5 setter just keeps on going.

Roger Federer isn't going to be put off by the Antipodean heat he says that the players should just get on with it. At the 2014 Australian Open...

Just deal with it, because it's the same for both players.

• Australian Open 2016 had a daily average maximum temperature of 26°C and averaged nine hours of sunshine each day
• Australian Open 2009 was the warmest event on record, with the average daily maximum 7°C, nine degrees above normal
• On 29 January 1963, 108mm of rain fell on Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, making it the wettest day in Australian Open history

Forecast

The next few days are looking much more comfortable with the temperatures back nearer to the monthly average in the low to mid-twenties. There is a bit of rain in the forecast but there are 3 retractable roofs for the Melbourne Park courts, so interruptions for rain may not have quite the impact that it does at Wimbledon.  The Australian Open added the third roof, on Margaret Court Arena, for the 2015 tournament.

 However later next weekend could get hot again with low to mid 30s showing up in the forecast as a high pressure takes hold.

The satellite picture above shows a cold front through the Bass Strait between the south coast of Australia and Tasmania.

Forecast for Melbourne VCT