Organizers of the Australian Open have changed their extreme heat policy, ahead of the 2015 tennis tournament.
This is after they were accused of forcing players to perform in inhumane conditions during a heat wave in January, which saw temperatures soaring above 40C during the 2014 tournament, causing players to faint or suffer from heatstroke.
The tournament referee still has the absolute discretion on whether or not to apply the extreme heat policy, although setting the parameters will help players and coaches preparing for matches.
In another change, matches in progress when the extreme heat policy is invoked will be suspended at the end of an even number of games in that set or at the completion of a tiebreaker.
A roof has also been added to a third court, a move that organizers hope will help weatherproof the tournament.
The temperature topped 40 degrees for four consecutive days during the tournament in January, the longest heat wave in the city in a century, but the extreme heat policy was rarely implemented.
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