Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

The first day of summer marks the countdown to Australian Open 2016, with just 48 days to go until the world’s best tennis players commence their Grand Slam campaigns.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley today joined tennis legend Todd Woodbridge to deliver the all-important long-range weather forecast for January, as prepared by the tournament’s official meteorologist, Bob Leighton.

“The forecast for Australian Open 2016 looks like a typical Melbourne summer,” Tiley said.

“We expect only three days above the 35C-degree mark (95F), with the majority in the mid to low 20s (70F), perfect weather for tennis.

“We expect a few showers and thunderstorms during the two weeks so having three retractable roof stadiums is fantastic, and effectively allows us to weatherproof the Australian Open. And for the warmer days we have more shaded areas for fans around the grounds than ever before.”

The Australian Open heat policy, updated for the 2015 tournament, remains the same and ensures conditions are fair for all players.

“The heat policy, as always, will be applied at the Referee’s discretion and will take into account both the forecast and state of play when making the call,” Tiley said today.

“The decision on implementing the heat policy will again take into consideration the forecast once the ambient temperature exceeds 40 degrees, and the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) reading exceeds 32.5,” he added.

Tiley said a raft of initiatives was guaranteed to make the 2016 event bigger and better than ever for both fans and players.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.