In the Australian summer, the starting signal for the 2018 Grand Slam season will be given: starting Monday, Melbourne Park will also be about heat, hats and cheerfulness.
At several points in Melbourne Park, the construction site looks like a building site these days. The Happy Slam is well prepared for the future. Because stagnation also means backward step in down under, the magic word is: Modernization!
But you can also rely on certain traditions at the Australian Open 2018. The same procedure as every year – so to speak. The lukewarm ice vests are neatly sorted in the stadium catacombs. Ready for the emergency that comes regularly. Even the velvety soft tournament towels can experience their blue (winter) wonder within minutes and become icy survival artists in the heat of battle.
When the first Grand Slam tournament of the new season starts on Monday in the Australian summer, nothing is left to chance. But there will be no red alert at least immediately after the starting signal. The thermometer in the state of Victoria is not expected to climb to 37 degrees Celsius until next Thursday. Then the Extreme Heat Policy (EHP) could be applied. Matches are interrupted when the so-called WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) factor, which can be calculated from temperature, UV radiation, wind and humidity, exceeds the magical limit of 32.5 degrees Celsius.
Angelique Kerber, Melbourne champion of 2016, once revealed her secret recipe for Aussie heat:”You have to make friends with the weather. Mental and physical preparation is the key. Especially as the water-blue Plexicushion coating on the courts can heat up to 50 degrees Celsius. For this reason, the physios in the changing room tell the pros how to behave in extreme conditions. Many people don’t think about salt loss, which can lead to cramps,”says Tim Woods, the tournament’s longstanding physician.
Several professionals lower their body temperature before walking onto the court with the help of the bathtubs in the changing rooms. The water is often below ten degrees Celsius. Scientific research has shown that an athlete can withstand the heat of the day when he or she starts “undercool”. Scenarios such as 2014 should be avoided. On the second day of the tournament, a total of nine pros gave up on account of the consequences of the heat (up to 43.9 degrees Celsius) on that day.
Even the spectators on the Yarra river can get good advice even at the 105th minute. the second edition of the event. The orange-coloured sunscreen tubes with sun protection factor 50 will be distributed free of charge during the 14 days of the tournament. For years now, large fans on the system have also offered the opportunity to refresh themselves. In addition, there are the inaudible announcements every few minutes, which remind you of the fact that hats on and enough to drink – otherwise, the Happy Slam will not cause such a funny collapse of the heat. And then for all too reckless sun worshippers, the unique flip-flop mood of the first major of the year is gone…!