Play suspended at Australian Open due to extreme heat

Play was suspended at the Australian Open on Tuesday afternoon because of extreme heat.

With the temperature into the mid-30s, the tournament’s heat stress scale, which also took into account humidity and wind speed, hit five just after 2 p.m. (0300 GMT).

This caused the play to be stopped on the outside courts.

Play continued under the roofs of Rod Laver, Margaret Court and John Cain arenas.

The decision came just before the start of Andy Murray’s clash with Matteo Berrettini on Laver, enabling it to start indoors.

Tuesday has been forecast to be the hottest day of the tournament, with the possibility of thunderstorms and cooler temperatures from Wednesday.