Fabien Cosmao, a physical trainer at Mouratoglou Academy, who oversaw the training preparation of Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu during her seven-week stay in Dubai, has said that overcoming the unforgiving outdoor conditions in the Australian summer after hard quarantine will be the toughest challenge for players at the year’s first Grand Slam.

Playing in intense heat will be a challenge at the Australian Open, says Andreescu’s trainer

Speaking to tennismajors.com, Cosmao said that playing in peak summer Down Under when daytime temperatures tend to go past 40 degrees celsius does put players at risk of catching muscle injuries.

Cosmao said that for two weeks some muscles “in the rotator cuffs of the shoulders, the hamstrings” which take the brunt of stress during match play, will not function as normal. “The muscles can forget these specific movements a bit,” he said.

Cosmao said since Andreescu is coming off an injury, her training stint in Dubai was majorly about preventing a fresh one.

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Currently ranked 8th by the WTA, the Canadian skipped the entire 2020 season owing to recovery and concerns around the pandemic.

Trainer says Bianca Andreescu pre-season training was about injury prevention

“For about 10 weeks now, during the winter preparation, we have done a lot of preventive work to keep her from getting injured again,” the ace trainer said.

He added that the challenge for the 2019 US Open champion would be to play without any physical discomfort in tough outdoor conditions at the Australian Open. “The big challenge for her this year is to be able to play matches without physical problems. Because when she does it, you know she’s playing really well,” Cosmao said.

The year’s first Grand Slam was pushed back from the usual start date of January 19 for the first time in its history. Speculations mounted on whether the tournament would be held at all as tournament organizers scrambled to work through mounting logistical challenges.

With a revised start date of February 8, the tournament was effectively pushed deeper into the Australian summer, which will pose even tougher physical challenges to players, especially those from Europe.

Read More: Bianca Andreescu Reveals Kim Clijsters as Her Tennis Idol While Growing Up