Fires ? "The closest are several hundred kilometers from the city." The possibly toxic fumes linked to these fires? "There will be weather and air quality experts who will analyze all the data available live and assess the air quality in real time at Melbourne Park." Through the voice of Craig Tiley, the head of the Australian Tennis Federation, the organizers of the Australian Open, which is scheduled to take place from January 20 to February 2 in Melbourne, announced on Tuesday January 7 that they do not intend, at this stage, to change anything in their programming.
Sunday, Serbian player Novak Djokovic, president of the ATP Players Council and number 2 in the world, asked that the option of postponing the first Grand Slam tournament of the year be studied if the fires, which left 25 dead, and the smoke threatened the players' health.
Melbourne has been surrounded for several days by a cloud of toxic smoke caused by the fires that are ravaging the east.
"Based on the information we have at the moment – with the qualifications taking place next week – the forecast is good. We do not anticipate any delays and have put in place additional measures to ensure that the Australian Open can proceed as planned ", said Craig Tiley.
"We devoted considerable additional resources to analysis, monitoring and logistics (…) throughout the tournament", he added.
The presence of any toxic smoke will be treated, he said, in the same way as exceptional heat or rain, the referees may interrupt the match if the atmospheric monitoring shows that it is too dangerous to continue.
The Melbourne Park, where the tournament will take place, has three indoor stadiums and eight indoor courts.
