Among the near annual grumblings on the tennis circuit are that players should be paid more at Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic has led the call this time around, having reportedly led a meeting of the Association of Tennis Professionals around proposing a union to fight for greater financial rewards.

Naturally, the talk quickly switched towards whether male and female tennis players should be paid the same, given the number of sets and hours they play in each of the four premier competitions.

Perhaps not made as vocally, are concerns from doubles players about the difference in prize money between themselves and the singles players.

These rumblings will continue to come and go, while more pressing concerns about finances are likely to go unheeded.

Namely, that while the players at the top of the game are earning vast reward for their busy schedules, be it through prize money and massive sponsorship deals, the professionals on the outskirts are probably just about getting by.

The more interesting topic of discussion, in my view, surrounds the concerns over extreme heat players are expected to play in.

Reports from the first week have more often than not included words like "brutal", "gruelling" and "searing".

There has been a mixed reaction from the players at the end of matches, with temperatures having touched nearly 40 degrees at some stages of the tournament to date.

After battling through a five set match 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 against Nikoloz Basilashvili on Friday (January 19), Britain’s Kyle Edmund admitted the 40 degrees temperature had proved him with one of the toughest tests of his career. He added in his press conference, that tennis is "a professional sport" and that "it's meant to hurt".

Djokovic and Gaël Monfils share a similar view after their four-set match, which saw the former prevail 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-3. The Serbian star claimed the tie had been "right on the limit", while his French opponent has widely been quoted as saying he was "dying" for 40 minutes. It is worth expanded on Monfils’ quote, as he also claimed that his pre-season training in Miami taken place under similar conditions.

Both Monfils and compatriot Alize Cornet complained of having dizzy spells during their matches, with Cornet requiring a medical assessment on court during her women’s singles match on Friday (January 20) before pushing on to earn victory.

These incidences have prompted questions as to whether players safety was being put at risk by carrying on, despite cooling measures such as ice towels being used.

Under the tournament’s current extreme heat policy, a combination of factors are used to determine whether play is halted. This includes temperature, humidity and wind speed. While organisers have admitted they have been close to suspending play, the conditions had not quite reached the levels required for the policy - which was last enforced in 2014 - to come into effect.

In fairness to the organisers, it is hardly surprising that players are going to encounter challenging conditions, given that the event takes place during the Australian summer time. It is not a new problem, with the tournament having been held in January every year since 1977.

However, while tournament director Craig Tiley acknowledged they wanted to keep it as an outdoor event for as long as possible, one wonders whether further action could be taken to provide some respite to players, as well as improving the quality of matches.

Fans ultimately do not want to see players hunched over their rackets after a couple of hours play, swaying from side to side as they attempt to recover. While we certainly would like to see ties being endurance tests, we would want it to be opponents rather than conditions pushing a player to their limits.

It seems logical, as Monfils suggested, for possible changes to be considered. For instance, allowing greater breaks for players between points when the temperature increases, as well as longer rest periods between sets. Perhaps a more liberal approach to closing the roofs on the three Australian Open show courts could occur, for instance if the two players both agree to it prior to a match.

The issue is not just limited to tennis, with concerns having been raised during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney earlier this month.

It followed England cricket captain Joe Root being forced to go to hospital with severe dehydration as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Given that there are no procedures existing in cricket or in most other sports for halting play, it is certainly a debate worth having.

While athletes are likely at the peak of physical fitness, they are by no means immune from effects of heat stroke, which can have severe and potentially fatal consequences.

Therefore, it was encouraging that Australian sports official Kevan Gosper vowed to urge the International Olympic Committee to introduce an extreme heat policy at the Olympic Games earlier this month, stating they should establish an umbrella standard across sport.

Steps to tackle this would be promising, particular as the issue is likely to be the subject of debate in the coming years. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics after all are due to take place in the hottest months of the year in the Japanese capital city, with the average temperature in July and August touching nearly 30 degrees celsius. It is something which could provide concerns for marathon runners, just as it did at Beijing 2008.

Arguably the most problematic upcoming event will be the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which has already been moved the winter months in the tiny country. Even so, the average temperature in November is 29 degrees celsius, dropping to 25 by mid-December.

It would seem logical that a debate needs to be had across sport as to whether protocols are correct over extreme temperatures, whether they are considered too warm or cold.

The International Cycling Union were among organisations to have come under pressure in recent years after some blistering hot races, as well as seeing cyclists hurtle down hillsides in potentially hazardous snowy roads. It led to the governing body introducing extreme weather protocols in 2016 for instances of freezing rain, snow accumulation on the road, strong winds, extreme temperatures, poor visibility and air pollution could impact riders. These protocols were most recent used during the Tour Down Under in Australia, which concluded today. 

Perhaps a less sport specific version could potentially be examined by the entire sports movement to consider a more universal set to guidelines in the future.