During his match first round match against Frenchman Benoit Paire at the Australian Open on Tuesday, Frank Dancevic collapsed on court and required medical attention on a day that saw temperatures soar to 108 degrees Farenheit. Afterward, the Canadian said that it was “inhumane” to allow players to play in such extreme conditions.

Scot Andy Murray references that most player are fit enough to compete but that the lack of attention by organizers may inadvertently damage the event's reputation.

“It doesn't look good for the sport when people are collapsing,” he stated. “Most of the players are conditioned well enough to last in that weather but doing it for three or four hours is tough to recover from.”

The extreme temperatures weren't enough to halt play despite several incidents on the grounds:

• Newly-engaged Caroline Wozniacki stated that her plastic bottle began melting from underneath when she placed it on the court
• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stated that his shoes softened on court
• Defending champion Victoria Azarenka described the conditions like “dancing in a frying pan” while John Isner said it felt “like an oven.”
• Jelena Jankovic burnt her backside on an uncovered seat
• A ballboy fainted on court mid-match and was helped by player Daniel Gimeno-Traver

Regardless of the apparent danger, tournament chief medical officer, Tim Wood, insisted that the risk to players' health was minimal.

“The majority of matches today were completed without any court calls from the medical team,” he stated. “Of course, there were a few players who experienced heat-related illness or discomfort, but none required significant medical intervention after they had completed their match.”

One player who was not so worried was Roger Federer, stating “It's just a mental thing” for players.

“If you train hard enough your entire life or the last few weeks and you believe you can do it and come through, there's no reason. If you can't deal with [the heat], you throw in the towel.”