MELBOURNE – Play at the Australian Open was once again
disrupted by the weather on Thursday after heavy rains carrying red
dust overnight covered the outside courts at Melbourne Park.
All outside courts at the open saw play delayed by at least 90
minutes as organizers cleaned up the mess left by the rain, with
further showers forecast for the afternoon.
Amid worries during the qualifying rounds of the slam that smoke from
the bush fires still ravaging the country may affect the main draw,
it was rain that upset the busy early stages of the tournament.
Heavy showers affected the opening day of the Melbourne slam, causing
a number of matches to be postponed to the following day as only the
three main courts at Melbourne Park feature retractable roofs.
The knock-on effect of Monday's delays and a whopping 13 five-set
matches contested on Tuesday - with some spilling into Wednesday -
led to some first round contests being played on Wednesday.
Wind was also becoming a factor at the Open, with players including
defending champion Novak Djokovic saying the conditions were
challenging.
"I don't think players enjoy these kind of conditions, to be honest,"
Djokovic, who played in the relatively sheltered Rod Laver Arena,
said. "I guess you're going to be challenged on different levels, not
just by your opponent, but also the conditions."
Former US Open Marin Cilic called conditions during his five-set
defeat of 21st seed Benoit Paire - on a more exposed outside court -
some of the worst he has experienced.
"I have to say conditions were one of the most difficult I
experienced overall in Grand Slams, possibly in my career."