Australian Open heat rules changed

MELBOURNE, Australia – Australian Open officials have amended the tournament’s heat policy so that matches in progress when extreme conditions are declared won’t have to be immediately finished.

Players in the Jan. 14-27 tournament at Melbourne Park will no longer have to complete matches that have started once the extreme heat rule is invoked, instead only having to complete the current set.

Previously, players who had just started a match had to complete it, even if it meant sweltering through a full three or five sets in extreme conditions.

In another change announced today, the decision to suspend play will be solely at the discretion of the tournament referee. Previously, Open organizers used a specific cutoff point, based on calculations of a set of weather readings that included court temperature and humidity.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said several top players from Australia and overseas had been consulted about the changes and the feedback was positive.