‘I couldn’t breathe and I just fell on the floor’
SLOVENIA’S Dalila Jakupovic feared she would pass out during Australian Open qualifying with the smoky conditions the worst she had experienced.
The world No.180 was forced to retire mid-match at Melbourne Park yesterday due to the hazardous smoke lingering from Victoria’s bushfires.
Jakupovic was leading her Open qualifying match against Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele when she collapsed to her knees with a coughing fit.
“I was really scared that I would collapse. That’s why I went on to the floor, because I couldn’t walk any more,” she said.
“I don’t have asthma and never had breathing problems. I actually like heat. The physio came again and I thought it would be better. But the points were a bit longer and I just couldn’t breathe any more and I just fell on the floor.”
The 28-year-old said she was having chest pains in practice, with the first day of qualifying delayed and practice suspended as Melbourne’s air quality ranged from hazardous to poor.
Play eventually started at 11am — an hour later than scheduled — after the city’s air was declared the worst quality in the world overnight.
An angry Jakupovic said it was “not fair” that officials asked players to take the court.
“It’s not healthy for us. I was surprised, I thought we would not be playing today but we don’t have much choice,” she said.
Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard called multiple medical time-outs in the oppressive conditions as she survived to defeat China’s Xiaodi You. Her opponent also asked for medical assistance and started regularly serving underarm in the third set.
Bouchard said she would train indoors today because it was not “worth going outside” after her gruelling three-hour encounter.
“I felt like it was tough to breathe and a bit nauseous,” she said. “I felt like the conditions got worse as the match went on . . . but I was out there for a long time.
“As an athlete, we want to be very careful, our physical health is one of the most important things. It’s not ideal to play in these conditions. Just like the heat rule, there should be an air quality rule.”
With only six days until the two-week championship starts, the world’s eyes will be glued on Melbourne when thousands of international visitors converge on the precinct.
Health authorities expect the air quality to bounce between the “very poor to hazardous range” until tonight.
Tennis Australia says it will work with its medical team, the Bureau of Meteorology and EPA scientists when making decisions about whether it is safe to play.
“This is a new experience for all of us in how we manage air quality, so we have to listen to the experts,” TA boss Craig Tiley said earlier. “We have installed measuring devices on-site for air quality.”
TA chief operating officer Tom Larner said any smoke stoppages would be treated in the same way as an extreme heat or rain delay.
At the Kooyong Classic, players and officials decided to stop play between Maria Sharapova and German Laura Siegemund at 5-5 in the second set due to the smoke.
BERNARD Tomic’s hope of resurrecting his tennis career at the Australian Open are in tatters after his first-round exit in qualifying.
Struggling with breathing issues, the former world No.17 was dismissed by seventhseeded Ukrainian Denis Kudla in straight sets 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in hot and smoky conditions at Melbourne Park.
His match got off to a promising start yesterday, but the 27-year-old slowly wilted.
Tomic called for a medic at 1-2 in the second set.
“I just can’t breathe,” he was heard to say.
The doctor gave him an inhaler and checked his chest with a stethoscope, before clearing him to resume.
But the Queenslander was unable to hold his serve and went down 1-3, which spelled the end of his challenge.
A former Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Tomic was hoping for a brighter 2020 after his ranking plummeted to 182 following a year to forget which included a hand injury.
He recorded only seven wins at ATP level — none at the slams — and had not played a competitive match since October.
Overlooked by Tennis Australia for a wildcard into the main draw, Tomic needed to win three sudden-death encounters to enter the season’s first grand slam starting on Monday.
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard survived a gruelling battle to escape through the first round.
The Canadian, who has been ranked as high as fifth in the world, called multiple medical timeouts in her 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory of China’s Xiaodi You.
After the opening game of the deciding set, You, who regularly served underarm in the oppressive conditions, also asked for assistance from the trainer.
Of the Australian contingent, former world No.39 Matthew Ebden was knocked out by Italian 13th seed Gianluca Mager 7-5, 6-4.
Max Purcell had a three-set win over Argentine Andrea Collarini while Abbie Myers fell to Olga Govortosova from Belarus, 7-5, 7-5.
Teenager Tristan Schoolkate won the first set against Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas before going down 6-2, 5-7, 5-7.