(Novak Djokovic, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Serena Williams)
Controversy at the Australian Open!
This is one major sporting event which should go down in history with an asterisk beside its name. The Australian Open, along with Wimbledon, The French Open and the U.S. Open, is one of the four major tennis tournaments of the year, and is currently in the semi-final rounds.
Of course, it's summer in Australia right now, and the nation happens to be suffering through a record heat wave. Temperatures on the court for the past few days have been over 140 degrees! Several players have forfeited matches due to heat fatigue.
But here's the controversy. The major show court, Rod Laver Arena, has a roof which can be closed to create an indoor stadium, complete with air conditioning. During the quarterfinal match between American Andy Roddick and Serbian Novak Djokovic, the #3 player in the world and defending Australian Open Champion, the temperatures soared and many wondered why the roof wasn't being closed. Djokovic easily won the first set, making Roddick look, at times, like a tennis beginner who had no idea what to do. Then, halfway through the second set, Djokovic started to experience heat fatigue and began losing the match. At times, he could barely move, and it was clear that he was under great physical stress. But the tournament officials refused to close the roof. Djokovic finally retired from the match, putting Roddick in the semi-finals. Quite simply, there is no way Roddick would have won that match if the heat had not intervened.
Then, the next day, American Serena Williams was playing Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, and Kuznetsova was handily beating Serena, who was also clearly suffering from the heat. Then, suddenly, in the second set, the roof began to close. Within minutes, the two woman were playing in an air conditioned, indoor arena, and Williams came back to win the match.
Who knows who would win despite the extreme conditions? This is sport, and anything can happen. Some commentators like Brad Gilbert were arguing that the winners should be those who are in the best condition while Patrick McEnroe was arguing that the winner of a tennis match should be the best tennis player, not the one who can best withstand extreme heat. All we're saying is that the tournament officials should be consistent, if they're going to leave the roof open for some, they should leave it open for all. Otherwise, at the end of the week, when we have a Grand Slam Tennis Champion, many will wonder if that person should have an asterisk beside his/her name. *Closed Roof Winner or *Open Roof Winner.
But here's the controversy. The major show court, Rod Laver Arena, has a roof which can be closed to create an indoor stadium, complete with air conditioning. During the quarterfinal match between American Andy Roddick and Serbian Novak Djokovic, the #3 player in the world and defending Australian Open Champion, the temperatures soared and many wondered why the roof wasn't being closed. Djokovic easily won the first set, making Roddick look, at times, like a tennis beginner who had no idea what to do. Then, halfway through the second set, Djokovic started to experience heat fatigue and began losing the match. At times, he could barely move, and it was clear that he was under great physical stress. But the tournament officials refused to close the roof. Djokovic finally retired from the match, putting Roddick in the semi-finals. Quite simply, there is no way Roddick would have won that match if the heat had not intervened.
Then, the next day, American Serena Williams was playing Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, and Kuznetsova was handily beating Serena, who was also clearly suffering from the heat. Then, suddenly, in the second set, the roof began to close. Within minutes, the two woman were playing in an air conditioned, indoor arena, and Williams came back to win the match.
Who knows who would win despite the extreme conditions? This is sport, and anything can happen. Some commentators like Brad Gilbert were arguing that the winners should be those who are in the best condition while Patrick McEnroe was arguing that the winner of a tennis match should be the best tennis player, not the one who can best withstand extreme heat. All we're saying is that the tournament officials should be consistent, if they're going to leave the roof open for some, they should leave it open for all. Otherwise, at the end of the week, when we have a Grand Slam Tennis Champion, many will wonder if that person should have an asterisk beside his/her name. *Closed Roof Winner or *Open Roof Winner.
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