Federer backs smoke policies
Roger Federer has backed the Australian Open’s new air quality policy after organisers copped international criticism for allowing qualifiers to play under a blanket of thick smoke haze.
Smoke from bush fires burning in Victoria’s east caused hazardous air quality and visibility to plummet across Melbourne during the opening days of qualifying.
Organisers were subsequently lashed after they appeared unprepared for the conditions, initially allowing play to go ahead at Melbourne Park, leaving several players adversely affected.
Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic had to quit her qualifying match after a coughing fit, while Australia’s Bernard Tomic also sought medical treatment after complaining that he could not breathe.
Canadian Brayden Schnur and Brit Liam Broady led the charge of disgruntled players.
Schnur branded superstars Federer and Rafael Nadal ‘‘selfish’’ for not speaking out on behalf of all players, while Broady labelled communication from organisers ‘‘a slap in the face’’.
Tournament director Craig Tiley defended the handling of the issue, but admitted effectively communicating their approach on air quality to players had been tricky.
The policy is based on the concentration levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, in the air as determined by realtime monitoring sites around Melbourne Park.
There are five levels of air quality under the policy depending on how much PM2.5 is present.
Conditions are closely monitored at Air Quality Rating 4 and play may be suspended when there are between 97 and 200 PM2.5 units present.
If the threshold of 200 units is passed, Air Quality Rating 5, then play is suspended.
‘‘From what we were told in the player meeting, the Olympic
Games and other competitions have the numbers set at 300,’’ Federer said yesterday.
‘‘Ours is set at 200. From that standpoint, I think we’re moving in a very safe range. We’re not here for six months straight at over 200, 300, you know.
‘‘That’s when maybe effects really become bad.
‘‘I don’t worry too much, to be honest. I worry more for everybody else who is in the fire, in the smoke.
‘‘Also we can stay indoors all day, quickly go out and play, go back in again. It’s not like we’re stuck outside at all times.’’
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev says he’s not at Melbourne Park to make up the numbers.
‘‘Any tournament I play, I want to win it. A good Australian Open is to win it,’’ Medvedev said.
After crashing out of last year’s Tour Finals with three consecutive round- robin losses, he rediscovered his mojo with four wins from five matches at the season-opening ATP Cup.
His only defeat was a third-set tiebreaker against Novak Djokovic, who later nominated the world No 4 and 2019 US Open runner-up as the most likely young gun to break his, Nadal and Federer’s 15-year grand slam dominance.
The heavyweight trio have won 55 slams between them, including 13 of the past 14 Australian Opens.
But Medvedev feels ready to challenge for major spoils over the coming fortnight.
‘‘The further you go in the big tournaments, the more chances you have to play them. The more times you play them, the more you know where you are comparing to them,’’ Medvedev said.
The 23-year-old embarked on an incredible six-final run on hard courts after Wimbledon, winning four titles, and will be fourth seed in Melbourne, meaning he can’t face world No 1 Nadal until the semifinals and seven-times champion Djokovic or six-times winner Federer until the title decider.
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