Sharapova stopped showcase in Melbourne • Jokovich wondered whether to postpone the start of the tournament • Early on, an anonymous actress had to retire after having trouble breathing and collapsing • The Australian Championship is set to open in six days - but the air pollution as a result of the huge fires is dreadful

• Air pollution in Melbourne. You don't see a meter in the lots either

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  Notwithstanding

Slovenian Delilah Yukofovich led 4: 6, 6: 5 in her early match against Swiss Stephanie Vogel before collapsing on the pitch in Melbourne. "It was really bad, I have never experienced anything like this," she said after long anxious moments of gasping and suffering from shortness of breath, "I was afraid I would collapse and could not walk anymore," she said, but thankfully recovered and not suffering from medical problems. At the same time, the top-ranked 180 in the world had to retire from a game that was close to victory, missing an opportunity to advance to the Australian Open, which is expected to open in six days.

Distressing scenes in the Australian Open qualifiers in Melbourne as Dalila Jakupovic is forced to retire when bushfire smoke brings on a coughing fit pic.twitter.com/3IiDVHXMVx

- Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 14, 2020

The word "expected" entered the discourse after a series of events that took place over the past day and prioritized players' health in the face of air pollution as a result of forest fires in Australia. Aside from the difficult images of Yakopovich on her knees having trouble breathing, Eugeney Bouchard also needed medical treatment for shortness of breath before she won her early match. "I felt dizzy and sick," the Canadian said. "As athletes, the most important thing is our health and these are not conditions that can be played."

The same harsh conditions were those that led Maria Sharapova to quit her show in the suburbs of Melbourne opposite Germany to Laura Sigmund in the latter part of the second act. "I started to cough in the fight and felt unwell all week," the Russian explained. "As soon as I heard Laura complain to the referee that she wasn't feeling well either, we decided to put an end to this game."

The organizers are trying to prevent such situations by closely monitoring air pollution. Last night, for example, training at Melbourne Park was canceled and the first round games in the early stages were postponed. According to the decision makers, at this moment the ratio of smoke and air quality is the same as that of extreme heat or rain. "If the situation is dangerous and there is an instruction from the medical team we stop the games," explained Tom Lerner, head of tennis Australia, "but as soon as conditions get better the players return to the pitches." That's exactly what happened yesterday.

Maria Sharapova is frustrated by the weather. Organizers are upset // Photo: AP

The players and actresses returned to play after an hour of delay, but the decision to return to the pitches after "improvement in the situation" proved nothing at all. "I performed," Yukofovich admitted; "I was sure we would not play at all, but left us no choice. I am angry and sad, but mostly disappointed that the victory was in my pocket and I could not finish the game."

Reject or reject

Of course, the players' arguments can be understood. As a result of the harsh conditions, Melbourne residents were asked to stay in their homes last night, not to take out the animals and keep the house windows closed. Unsurprisingly, explicit instruction was made not to engage in strenuous physical activity, and it is quite clear that having games puts players' health at risk.

Many tennis players have shared social media data on high air pollution and wondered how to play that way. "This is irrational," French journalist Elyse Corne wrote, tagging the organizers alongside the question: "Do you really intend to do that?"

Countryman Luca Foy retired from the tournament due to injury, but a post he wrote went viral and gained the share of many players; "I keep reading some bad guy over there and getting messages from players who claim it's crazy to play there," the Frenchman wrote; "I can't judge for myself because I'm not there, but I can only wonder why the players agree to go up the field?"

The fires put the tournament in the face of a previously unthreatened threat // Photo: Reuters

The answer to this question, it seems, is that no one really knows what to do. In a precedent, last week the Canberra Tournament was moved to distant Bendigo 600km due to the situation, but no one thinks it is possible to do the same with the Australian Championship. Usually the tournament in Melbourne takes place without incident, maybe a bit of heat, but there has never been a rejection there.

The fires that have led to serious damage to property and mind put the tournament in the face of a threat that it has not encountered before, and as the days go by the question marks accumulate. Novak Djokovic, the chairman of the players' organization, was already wondering whether or not the start of the tournament should be postponed, but that the organizers did not want to be drawn to extreme decisions. As explained by tournament manager Greg Tilly, who offered to transfer the vast majority of the tournament to Melbourne's indoor courts: New to us too, so you have to wait. ”The big question is when are you waiting, or worse - what needs to happen to stop waiting?