Excess heat knocks off ball girl at the Aussie Open
Tennis officials at the Australian Open were quick to respond to a collapsing ball girl during play on Day 2.
The match between Lloyd Harris and Mikael Torpegaard, taking place on Court 16, was abruptly disrupted when the youngster fell to the ground on a hot day at Melbourne Park.
Players and on-court Open staff rushed to attend to the young girl.
A further update from officials on Tuesday morning said the girl will go home for a couple of days to rest before returning to the tournament at the end of the week.
“A ball kid was unwell during the first match on Court 16 today,” a Tennis Australia spokesperson told Channel 7.
“She was immediately attended to by the medical team and will rest at home as a precautionary measure. She will return to her ball kid duties later this week.”
The weather in parts of Melbourne hit 27 degrees celsius earlier this week and is proving difficult to deal with for players, fans and even staff
Read AlsoKerber out of Aussie Open blames quarantine for early exit
The tournament was thrown into jeopardy earlier this year as Covid-19 forced players to quarantine in Aussie hotels in the build up to the start.
Big names such as Roger Federer and Andy Murray aren’t in attendance, either.