Conditions have improved in Beijing since earlier this week when the air quality was reported at potentially hazardous levels. However, the situation left spectators and players alike wondering why play was scheduled as normal during the first few days.

Dizzy Spells Doom Players Early

Face masks are not the usual decorative clothing piece of choice for tennis matches. Earlier this week in Beijing though, they were prevalent among spectators watching the action at this week's dual ATP and WTA stop at the China Open in Beijing. Several players taking part in this week's tournament seemed to be struggling with the air quality. In the opening round on Monday, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stumbled on the court in his match against Andreas Haider-Maurer and took a medical timeout after complaining of dizziness. Tsonga said he did not know if the air quality was specifically to blame for his problems, saying "I was like, dizzy. It came just like this, on one run. After one run, I went back to play a return and I feel a little bit dizzy. But I hope it's nothing important."

On the women's side, Eugenie Bouchard also had problems with dizziness in her opening round match as she was forced to retire after just ten games in her match with Andrea Petkovic. Bouchard's problem is harder to link directly to the air quality as she was returning for the first time since suffering a concussion after a fall at the U.S. Open. Bouchard also reported feeling dizzy, but it was uncertain if the concussion-like symptoms were recurring or related to the smog.

Air Quality Always An Issue According To Most

Other players have also looked less than 100 percent despite finishing matches this week. Second seed Tomas Berdych was forced into a quick turnaround this week after the Shenzhen Open was rain delayed to a Monday finish. After winning the title there, Berdych came back two days later to play in Beijing. He looked as if he was having issues with the smoggy air as he coughed and looked visibly worn down by the end of his loss to Pablo Cuevas. On the WTA side, Caroline Wozniacki also fell to a heavy defeat on the same day to Angelique Kerber. Wozniacki did not blame the air quality for her struggles though, saying "The pollution, I think we're used to it when we play here."

The most outspoken critic of the situation this week was ATP player Martin Klizan. Klizan coughed throughout his opening round loss to Fabio Fognini and reportedly vomited after the match was complete. Klizan posted via his Facebook account about his disdain for the tournament that he was playing in for the first time. The post has since been removed. In it, Klizan said "There is such an extreme smog in this city, that due to my health, which should be a priority of every tournament organiser, unfortunately, I will have to leave this tournament out from my calendar for the rest of my tennis career."

China Open Officials Stay Silent

Event organizers have remained quiet this week over the complaints about the smog and what, if any, precautions are in place to protect the player's health when the air quality gets to potentially dangerous levels. During the week, Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that the U.S. Embassy website in Beijing warned of the air quality. In an announcement on Wednesday, the embassy release said that air quality measurements were rated as "hazardous" and carried a warning that: "Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion." Chinese authorities this week had issued a yellow alert for smog, the third highest in their four-tier alert system.

It seems as if the issue may once again get ignored with many top tier players seeming to just accept the pollution as part of the Beijing experience. Novak Djokovic for one has remained silent on the situation and likely for good reason. Djokovic is 28-0 at this event with five career titles in Beijing that have netted him more than $500,000 in prize money for each title. He remains in position to add another title this year, as he is set to play David Ferrer in the semifinals on Saturday. Others like Rafael Nadal seem to shrug it off as part of what you get when you agree to play at this tournament, telling the AFP "No, nothing new for us. I've played here a lot of times. I see the pollution this year better than other years."

The only solution to the apparent lack of protection of the players in these conditions could be for a big name player to pull out of the tournament as Martin Klizan has threatened to do in the future. It will likely take one of the ATP or WTA's top stars to do that or at least speak out negatively on the conditions. Until then, it seems as if the China Open will go on with its players risking their health on these poor air quality days.

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About the author
Chris Spiech
Tennis fan who still is not sure exactly how he became a tennis fan.