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Players react to crazy-hot temperatures at the Australian Open

It was a bring-your-own-shade kind of day at the Australian Open. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) MELBOURNE, Australia -- Temperatures hit 109 degrees Fahrenheit
Courtney Nguyen|
Players react to crazy-hot temperatures at the Australian Open
Players react to crazy-hot temperatures at the Australian Open

It was a bring-your-own-shade kind of day at the Australian Open. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Temperatures hit 109 degrees Fahrenheit on Day 4 of the Australian Open, finally triggering the tournament's discretionary Extreme Heat Policy, calling for a suspension of play until temperatures return to playable conditions. That was great news for players who weren't already on court, but it was a harrowing few hours for the ones who had to suffer through it.

Here's a roundup of how the heat went down today in Melbourne:

Video

Maria Sharapova scribbles "Love the heat!" on the camera after her three-and-a-half hour match against Karin Knapp:

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wrings out his shirt completely soaked with sweat:

ESPN's short piece on the heat that hit the tournament earlier in the week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edgTZeixT48

Pam Shriver talks to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley about the Thursday's decision to implement the Extreme Heat Policy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHWkEAd6U8M

Photos

Maria Sharapova: New Sugarpova product: Volcano gummies. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Jerzy Janowicz: Have you ever seen him happier? (Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

Australian Open fans: Yeah, but how hot was that water? (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

Alize Cornet: The ice hat was very popular. I'm sure we'll see them on the runways of Milan next season. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

Varvara Lepchenko: It was a rough day for Lepchenko, who succumbed to the heat. (Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

Eva Hrdinova and Paula Ormaechea: No really, kids, tennis is a fun sport! (Renee McKay/Getty Images)

Kei Nishikori: To smell the ice, you must be the ice. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

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Courtney Nguyen
COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

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