Australian Open 2020 Organizers Come Up With a Revolutionary Alternative Amid Bushfires

The raging bushfires have created havoc in major parts of Australia. The fire blaze smoke blanketing Victoria’s capital Melbourne is expected to deteriorate the air quality of the city. At the moment the occurrence of the Australian Open 2020 tournament seems to be a conundrum, but the organizers have come up with suitable alternatives.

A major amount of matches to take place on the three main courts

As a consequence, an unprecedented number of matches might take place indoors on the three main arenas of Melbourne Park. The indoors stadia are Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Arena, and the renovated Margaret Court Arena. They collectively have a seating capacity of 33,000. If that decision is put into application Australian Open will be the first major to host the highest number of indoor matches at a Grand Slam tournament.

“The site also has eight indoor practice courts which, while not set up for spectators, could theoretically take the number of protected courts used to 11 in the worst-case scenario. If they came to be used it would be the most indoor matches played ever at a Grand Slam,” CEO of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley said.

All three prestigious courts, Rod Laver, Melbourne and Margaret Court Arena have a retractable roof. It facilitates indoor play. Margaret Court Arena’s roof is the fastest one in the world. It can open or close within five minutes. 

Australian Open 2020 is scheduled to get underway from January 20 tentatively under those extreme conditions. And the qualifier rounds will be starting from January 13. The air quality in the Victorian capital,  Melbourne is at 138.8. The figure is almost seven times worse than their regular conditions.

“Due to fluctuation levels of poor air quality in Melbourne, Australian Open organizers facing a tough decision as the qualifying event is about to start next week,” Tiley continued.

Organizers trying their best to provide perfect service to the professionals

CEO of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley and his team are working meticulously to  raise measures for the welfare of the tennis professionals.“We’ve committed substantial extra resources to analysis, monitoring and logistics to ensure the health & safety of all players, staff, and fans throughout the summer and have no other plans to move events,” Tennis Australia’s CEO said.

Is Australian Open 2020 in Danger of Being Canceled?

The challenger event, Canberra International was moved to Bendigo in Victoria. The shift was majorly due to the poor air quality in the Australian capital. The organizers of Australian Open 2020 have no intention to reschedule the major tournament of Asia-Pacific region.