Lent.az
Australia experienced its hottest day in the last 17 years, coinciding with a historic day for the Australian Open tennis tournament. Due to the hot weather, many matches were played in front of empty stands.
Lent.az reports, citing foreign media, that the Australian Open Championship, the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, experienced one of its most historic days yesterday. However, this historic day occurred not because of the athletes' performances or results on the court, but thanks to mother nature. The temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius on the hottest day in the country in the last 17 years.
As a result, the impact of the weather conditions on the organization, even for just one day, prevented tennis players from moving on the blue court. The extreme heat negatively affected spectator numbers, and occupancy in the stands decreased by more than a third. The scene at the tournament, which is usually full of spectators for almost every match, matched the concept of "empty stands."
Even the Margaret Court Arena, which has a roof, was half empty, outdoor games and training were suspended, and there were more staff than tennis fans. Only 21,226 ticketed spectators attended the daytime session, which is 11,686 fewer than the 32,912 spectators recorded last year.
