This Is How Professionals At The Australian Open Survive The Intense Heat

These guys can survive extreme weather, but it comes with a lot of preparation.

1. Ice packs and cooling vests are available to players upon request.

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2. When the temperature hits 30 degrees, the break between sets is longer.

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The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) combines temperature and humidity into one figure. When the WBGT goes over 30 degrees, officials can choose to extend the breaks between sets from two to 10 minutes.

3. Play is suspended when the WBGT temperature goes over 34 degrees.

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4. Players train outdoors and in intense heat in the lead-up to the tournament.

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Players fly to Australia a few weeks early so they can acclimatise to our weather. Most participate in pre-Australian Open tournaments in different cities around the country. They also have access to the Melbourne Park grounds for practice sessions beforehand.

5. Officials and volunteers avoid black, heavy and tight-fitting clothing.

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You can see this reflected in the uniforms of ballkids and umpires. But for others working on the the grounds, this means no heavy jeans or black t-shirts so they're not absorbing more heat than they should.

6. They start their day with a big breakfast.

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Getty Images photographer Clive Brunskill, who's been shooting at the tennis for several years, told BuzzFeed this is how he retains energy and avoids fainting on hot days.

"When I eat a big breakfast, I avoid eating anything too heavy during the rest of the day."

7. While players have unrestricted access to water, everyone else has their own formula for how much water they should drink.

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"A pint of water is what I have found to be my perfect happy medium. When shooting from centre court, you don’t have the luxury of being able to leave your post and use the toilet, but you also don’t want to pass out from heat stroke. I usually take some of the lenses out of my camera bag and replace them with bottles of water," Brunskill said.

8. If playing for more than an hour, sports drinks with around 6% carbohydrate concentration are available to players.

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Electrolytes can also help retain fluid.

9. Ballkids and volunteers spend time outs spraying themselves with water to cool down.

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Water doesn't just help when you drink it. Splashing some on your body will cool you down fast. There are giant mist fans around the grounds of Melbourne Park.

10. Players and umpires have retractable roofs built onto their on-court seats.

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11. Ballkids wear headgear with flaps attached to cover both the sides and back of their head.

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If court officials can't seek respite in the shade because there's an ongoing match, they're given caps that will give them ample coverage.

12. And photographers take hotel towels to matches.

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"The biggest challenge as a tennis photographer is keeping yourself and your camera gear cool. Most camera bodies and tripods are black and at times you can even smell the rubber housing burning. I always take hotel towels with me to put over the camera, lens, and even my head. The towel also helps me see the screen on the back of my camera more clearly - it can be so bright on court that it's nearly impossible to see," Brunskill said.