Ex-cancer sufferer’s air concern
A TENNIS player who overcame cancer last year has spoken of her concerns about competing in poor air quality at the Australian Open.
American Nicole Gibbs played her first-round qualifying match on Tuesday, when a smoky haze from Australia’s bush-fire crisis descended on Melbourne, resulting in several players needing treatment for respiratory issues and one retirement. Gibbs said she felt light-headed and dizzy as she battled past Cristina Bucsa in three sets and went on to lose to Brit Harriet Dart yesterday, 6-2 6-3.
The 26-year-old missed two months of the season last summer after a visit to the dentist resulted in a diagnosis of cancer of the salivary gland. She needed a feeding tube for several weeks but has since made a full recovery. “Maybe I’m a little more paranoid than I would have been a year ago,” said Gibbs.
“I do have a macro sense of my health that maybe I didn’t have before. I think we all feel a little bit immortal, we’re all young and professional athletes, take really great care of our bodies, so you don’t really think anything can happen to you.
“But just having that reality check definitely makes me a little bit more sensitive.”
Tournament director Craig Tiley spoke to reporters yesterday and clarified the Australian Open’s policy on the issue.
After seeking advice from medical and environmental experts as well as other sports, organisers settled on an acceptable level of particulate matter of 200 micrograms per cubic metre of air, which is regarded as unhealthy but, according to Tiley, lower than the threshold in other sports.
Gibbs’ big criticism of organisers was a lack of information.
Asked whether players could have fought harder before going out on court, Gibbs said: “It’s really hard to take on that issue before you’re scheduled to play a match because the probable outcome is you’re just going to end up going on court anyway.
“For a lot of the qualifiers, you have the attitude of, head down, do what needs to be done and kind of assess the damage after, which may or may not be the most responsible thing for our personal health but it’s the attitude of athletes.”