17 Jan 2020

Australian open draped in smoke from bush fires

From Summer Times, 9:20 am on 17 January 2020

Heavy smoke from the Australian bushfires has forced some tennis players to pull out of warmup matches ahead of the Australian Open. Dalila Jakupovic pulled out of her qualifying match yesterday, and another match had to be abandoned as players struggle to compete in the smoky conditions.

The effects that air pollution from the bush blazes which are ravaging large parts of Australia is likely to remain a contentious issue. And to make sense of all this I'm joined from smoky Melbourne by DLI Sport's David Luddy 

Tourists pose for a photo in the stands of one of the outside courts at Melbourne Park as the horizon is covered with thick smoke haze in Melbourne on January 15, 2020, ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Photo: AFP