4 reasons why the Australian Open produces the most epic matches

#4 The weather

The Australian Open is widely regarded as the hottest Grand Slam of the year. And rightly so. The temperatures hover in the late 20's and early 30's. Temperatures can sometimes exceed 40, which is when the "Extreme Heat Policy" comes into the picture. Play is stopped on outside courts, while the roofs on Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, & Margaret Court Arena are closed.

Since tennis players are generally used to playing in cooler temperatures, the Aussie Open becomes just like a "survival of the fittest" contest. And it's exactly what a sport should be. In the 2002 Women's Singles final, Martina Hingis lost to Jennifer Capriati after being a set and 4-0 up, squandering 4 match points.

After the match, she said, "My legs stopped functioning. The brain still wanted it, I wanted to run, get to the ball and play, but I felt like my body couldn't cope with what my brain told it to do.”

Let's hope that Melbourne Park continues its tradition of producing breathtaking matches this year as well!