‘People are suffering’ – Former Manchester United star urges postponement of Australian Open

Australian Open - Novak Djokovic says postponement is possible

Tennis365
January 10, 2020

Former Manchester United and Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Bosnich believes the Australian Open should be postponed due to the bushfire crisis.

The ATP Cup is currently happening in Australia, and organisers have appeared to rule out the Australian Open being affected by the situation.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, Bosnich says that all sporting events should be suspended until the crisis abates.

“People have lost everything including their lives. Over six million hectares has been destroyed and its ongoing,” he said.

“The air here in Sydney… you can only see about 300 metres away.

“Me personally, I’m always of the opinion that when there’s such a disaster [as this] everything else should pretty much stop.

“We had the debate about the fireworks display for New Year’s Eve and why people are suffering so great I believe the least you can do is stop.

“But as was made aware to me there are people coming from all over the country and world with pre-paid fares and hotels.

“It’s very difficult because it’s unprecedented and people are really suffering.”

The Australian Open is due to start on January 20th, with a fund-raising exhibition featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams also scheduled for January 15.

Craig Tiley, the tournament director, previously said: “The forecast is good. We don’t expect any delays and we’ve implemented additional measures to ensure the Australian Open will be able to run as scheduled.”

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