Tim Henman found himself drenched in sweat whilst presenting for TNT Sports during a scorching day at the Australian Open. The former British tennis star is in Australia working as a pundit for the Grand Slam and regretted his wardrobe choice on Tuesday.

Temperatures climbed to 43 degrees by mid-afternoon in Melbourne, disrupting the Australian Open programme. Action and practice sessions were halted on the outer courts, whilst the roofs on the show courts were shut to protect competitors and fans from the blazing sun.

It marked the hottest day at the Major since 2009, prompting officials to implement their extreme heat policy, which takes into account air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed and humidity. Matches commenced earlier, at 9am, on the outside courts, whilst the wheelchair events were postponed until Wednesday.

However, whilst organisers managed the conditions effectively, Henman struggled in them. The 51-year-old made the ill-advised decision to wear a grey polo shirt and was left with enormous sweat marks under his armpits and across his chest whilst working.

He received little sympathy from his co-host, Laura Robson, who enthusiastically posted a photograph to Instagram. “Some people can’t handle the heat,” Robson wrote as the caption.

While Henman’s embarrassment was notable, he wasn’t the only one grappling with Melbourne’s sweltering conditions. A ball girl had to be escorted off the court after fainting from the heat early in the tournament, and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka confessed to the challenging conditions after her semi-final qualification.

Sabalenka shared after her decisive 6-3 6-0 victory over Iva Jovic: “At the end of the match, it was really hot out there. I’m glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back, so we could go back and stay in the shade.

“I knew going into this match that they won’t let us play on crazy heat. If it (the scale) would reach the five, they would definitely close the roof, so I knew that they were protecting us, our health. Anyway, when we finished it was 4.4, so it was quite hot. It’s okay, I’m happy that I managed.”

The scorching heat not only affected the players but also impacted Tuesday’s spectator turnout. The queues were noticeably shorter as fans opted to stay indoors, away from the sun.

On the show courts, Elina Svitolina made quick work of Coco Gauff, winning 6-1 6-2 in under an hour to secure her spot in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz triumphed over local favourite Alex De Minaur with a scoreline of 7-5 6-2 6-1 to advance.