Russian Maria Sharapova, formerly world number one tennis player, withdrew from an exhibition match today, in Koyung, a suburb of the Australian city of Melbourne, due to smoke from the fires that hit the east of the country.
The 32-year-old asked for a time-out when she was tied in Group 5-5 (after her first 6-7 loss) with German Laura Sigmund, claiming that "the players breathe in smoke."
The firefighting departments in Australia announced today their success in curbing the strongest "huge fire" the country has known, which has remained for three months out of control, while rain is expected to start soon in the affected areas.
The fires that cause deteriorating air quality in Melbourne led the organizers of the Australian Open to suspend the scheduled exercises today, in preparation for the first Grand Slams to start next Monday.
Sharapova, who played with an adhesive bandage to facilitate breathing, described the conditions of play as "harsh", explaining that she had suffered "coughing" attacks at the end of the second set.
"The referee asked us to go a step further. In my view, the decision (to withdraw) was wise," said the holder of the title of 5 major championships, which fell to the 145th position in the world due to her suffering with injuries.