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Organisers risking a tragedy by playing Oz Open in extreme heat: Murray

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ANI Melbourne

Andy Murray made his disappointment clear by saying that he feared someone could suffer a heart attack if Australian Open organisers insist on play going ahead in 42-degree temperatures in Melbourne.

Extreme temperatures on Tuesday caused players to faint and vomit in a day of extraordinary scenes at the Australian Open.

Canada's Frank Dancevic, fainted after a set and a half of his match and another, Peng Shuai of China, vomited at the side of the court. A ball boy collapsed during another match and many ticketholders chose not to sit courtside because of the intensity of the heat.

Murray, who safely progressed alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, queried whether it was safe to play in temperatures which touched 42.2 Celsius.

 

Raising safety doubts, Murray said one has got to be very careful these days,as there's been some issues in other sports with players having heart attacks, Sport24 reports.

He expressed special concern about those players embroiled in five-set matches, or exposed to direct sunlight on the outside courts.

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First Published: Jan 15 2014 | 11:21 AM IST

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