Russian flags banned at Australian Open while scorching heat halts play for three hours

Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Melbourne Park precinct during the Australian Open after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country while play on day two was halted as temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius (97F).

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, posted a picture showing a Russian flag hanging from a bush beside the court where his compatriot Kateryna Baindl was playing her first-round match on Monday.

“I strongly condemn the public display of the Russian flag during the game of the Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Baindl at the Australian Open today,” he wrote on Twitter.

“I call on Tennis Australia to immediately enforce its ‘neutral flag’ policy.”

Tennis Australia responded on Tuesday by banning the flags of the two countries.

“Flags from Russia and Belarus are banned onsite at the Australian Open,” Tennis Australia said in a statement.

“Our initial policy was that fans could bring them in but could not use them to cause disruption. Yesterday we had an incident where a flag was placed courtside.

“The ban is effective immediately. We will continue to work with the players and our fans to ensure the best possible environment to enjoy the tennis.”

Belarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Moscow terms a “special operation”.

Russian and Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon last year but are able to compete as individual athletes without national affiliation at the Australian Open.

Their flags are not displayed beside their names in TV broadcasts, as is the case for other players, and their nation is not indicated on draw sheets.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she understood how the display of the flags of the two countries might upset Ukrainian players.

“I really thought that sport is nothing to do with politics but if everyone feels better this way, then it’s okay,” the fifth seed told reporters after her first-round win on Tuesday.

“If Tennis Australia made this decision to make them feel better, okay. They did it, what can I do? I can do nothing.”

Ukraine’s number two Marta Kostyuk told Reuters on Monday that she would not shake hands with tour rivals from Russia and Belarus who she feels have not done enough to speak out against the invasion.

SCORCHING HEAT HALTS PLAY

Scorching heat halted outdoor matches and sent fans scurrying for shade at the Australian Open on Tuesday before resuming late in the afternoon as players were given an early test of their endurance on a sweltering day two at Melbourne Park.

Organisers invoked their Extreme Heat Policy about three hours into the day session as temperatures nudged 36 degrees Celsius (97F) and searing gusts of wind blew through the venue.

The tournament’s Heat Stress Scale, which measures radiant heat, humidity and air temperature in the shade, crossed its highest threshold of 5.0, halting 10 outdoor matches at the Grand Slam.

Play continued under the roofs of the main showcourts, however, with former world number one Andy Murray sweating it out against Italian Matteo Berrettini at Rod Laver Arena.

Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who beat Katherine Sebov 6-3 6-0 on the main showcourt before Murray’s match, said she was not too badly affected earlier.

“I have to admit on Rod Laver Arena it was pretty nice. Obviously it was warm. It was nice to be able to walk in the shadow a little bit when you were able to serve but I didn’t feel that (it was) such warm weather,” Garcia said.

“I don’t know in the crowd there is some AC or whatever, but it felt warm, but it felt okay.”

Play on the outdoor courts resumed at around 5 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) when conditions improved.

The suspension of play was not welcomed by all players, with local man Jordan Thompson blowing his cool when his match on Court Three was halted when trailing American J.J. Wolf 6-3 1-3.

“When does that ever happen?” world number 88 Thompson barked at the chair umpire.

“I’ve been here when it’s like 45 degrees.”

The temperature was already nudging 30 degrees Celsius when matches started in the morning, and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez was glad to see off French veteran Alize Cornet in straight sets in the first match on Court 3.

“I think I did well to manage my emotions, and then especially manage the heat, try not to get too hot-headed,” Fernandez told reporters.

“So I was very happy with that.”

Extreme heat is a feature of the Australian Open, held in mid-summer in the country, with play occasionally suspended and leaving organisers with scheduling headaches.

Tennis Australia tweaked its extreme heat policy at the end of 2018 after a slew of players complained of health and safety risks under the previous system.

Novak Djokovic begins his charge towards a record-extending 10th Australian Open title in cooler conditions in the evening when he meets Roberto Carballes Baena.

A more pleasant day is expected on Wednesday, with the temperature set to drop by more than 10 degrees.