Nine players have withdrawn from the Australian Open through the first two days due to injury, including No. 12 Tommy Haas, No. 13 John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber. Thats five more players in two days than the entire 2013 U.S. Open in September of last year. While the final Grand Slam at the end of a gruelling season might be expected to have more impact on the health of players, the Australian Open is taking out competitors at an alarming rate to kick off the 2014 schedule. And although none of the nine players officially retired due to the roaring heat in Melbourne, one would think its played a part. Heat has always been an issue for this event but it seems to be getting worse. What should be done to make things better for the players? The average temperature in Melbourne in January - the first month of summer Down Under - is 25.9 C. The average temperature for the opening two days of the seasons first Grand Slam was 36 C. Despite any match-ending issues related to the heat, there is no shortage of players - and a ball boy - struggling to maintain their composure under the sun. But tournament organizers have not suspended any matches as yet. "I think its inhumane, I dont think its fair to anybody, to the players, to the fans, to the sport, when you see players pulling out of matches, passing out," Canadian Frank Dancevic told reporters after his first-round loss in which he collapsed on the sideline during the second set. "Ive played five set matches all my life and being out there for a set and a half and passing out with heat stroke, its not normal." The tournament has contingencies in place to deal with the heat, which was put into effect Tuesday by granting womens matches an extra 10-minute break between the second and third sets. Stopping a match, however, is at the discretion of tournament director Wayne McKewen as part of a new rule instituted this year. "We have to reach a minimum threshold and have a forecast that it will be sustained for a reasonable time," McKewen said in a statement. "That didnt happen. While conditions were hot and uncomfortable, the relatively low level of humidity ensured play would continue." Organizers use the Wet Bulb Global Temperature composite, which factors in humidity and wind in an attempt to assess the conditions more accurately. On Tuesday, temperatures were expected to reach as high as 42 C. Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena are the only two venues with retractable roofs and air conditioning, but have yet to be utilized. All other courts remain at the mercy of the heat and the forecast is calling for high 30s on Wednesday and low 40s for Thursday and Friday. Two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka said the court at Rod Laver was "like youre dancing in a frying pan." Is it time for organizers to provide more cooling options, including stopping matches before its too late? Could the tournament begin earlier or later and still comfortably sit between the U.S. Open in September and the French Open in May? What more can be done to combat the uncomfortable and potentially dangerous conditions at the Australian Open? As always, its Your! Call. Air Max 200 Canada . -- Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale searched more than three quarters for five guys who would play well together. Canada Nike Air Max Tailwind .com) - Stanley Johnson had 18 points and No. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/. The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. Nike Air Max 95 Canada .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. Nike Air Max Canada . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics.QUEBEC CITY, Que. - Used to battling tight corners at speeds well in excess of 100 km/h, Olympic bobsled champion Kaillie Humphries tried her hand at handling a pair of top UFC fighters Sunday. Welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald and middleweight Francois Carmont were on their best behaviour, serving as benign training partners as top coach Firas Zahabi gave Humphries an introduction to mixed martial arts paces before a small crowd at a Quebec City mall. It was all part of the UFC Experience, a public workout ahead of Wednesdays Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale UFC card. Under the tutelage of Zahabi, Humphries worked on a double-leg takedown, armbar and kimura submissions as well as punching and kicking. At the end of the session, he had her put all the moves together in taking the pro fighters to the ground and then going after a submission. The 28-year-old from Calgary clearly enjoyed the lesson, enthusiastically throwing a tattooed tree-trunk of a leg over the six-foot-three Carmont in a bid to subdue him as he lay on his back. MacDonald is ranked the No. 2 contender in the world at 170 pounds by the UFC while Carmont is No. 9 at 185 pounds. Zahabi trains both in Montreal as well as former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The bobsled champ signed autographs and, holding her two Olympic gold medals, posed with fans before changing into workout gear to get some tips from Zahabi, along with a local youngster. "One more," Zahabi yelled as Humphries kicked the training pad he was holding. "Harder." As he urged her on to kick again and again and again, the coach mischievously asked if she was competing in the next Olympics. When she said yes, he told her: "Youve got to do more," referring to the kicks. "Come on, youve got four years. Go. Again. Again. Four years of this." The inspiration worked. Humphries kept kicking, with the audible thuds becoming louder. "Didnt want it to end," she tweeted later. Humphries is a longtime fan of MMA — so much so that she planned to fly back to Calgary on Sunday night to honour a previous commitment before returning to the Quebec capital to take in the fights. "Its so cool for me to be able to see and get to meet the fighters and be a part of something so spectacular," she said in an interview. "Its an opportunity you cant miss, so you make travel work." The UFC treated her like royalty, producing a real championship belt that she put on while holding her medals with an Olympic-sized grin.dddddddddddd Humphries says the UFC is literally part of her family. Her parents named their cats Rampage and Tito after former light-heavyweight champions Quinton (Rampage) Jackson and Tito (The Peoples Champion) Ortiz. But combat sports are new to the bobsled champion, who only has one boxing class under her belt. She is, however, contemplating adding MMA training as part of her general fitness regimen. While not bobsled specific, the explosive nature of MMA could be beneficial, she said. So what about getting punched, she was asked? "I think its something I can handle. Bobsleighs not exactly the most princecessy of sports," she replied. "Im used to rough and tough a little bit and I can take a punch." Then she paused. "Ive never actually been hit so I cant actually say that," she said with a giggle. Humphries cited Jackson and current womens bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey as her favourite fighters. Rousey, the UFCs first female title-holder, is a former Olympic bronze medallist in judo. "Nowadays women can do anything the men can do," said Humphries, who won her Olympic gold in Sochi, Russia with Heather Moyse, who also competes in cycling and rugby. "At the end of the day, women are inspirational in completely different ways than men," she added. "And to know there are women out there that are as rough and as tough, and can dedicate their lives and work just as hard, it (the UFC) allows us to show that off to the rest of the world. "Im super-proud of all the women that do sports across the board, especially at such a high and extreme level. Its an inspiration for me and I know many young girls out there." Dont look to Humphries to start fighting for real, however. The UFC womens competition is restricted to bantamweight (135 pounds), although a new strawweight division (115 pounds) is being formed. "Im far away from that," she laughed. "As of right now I would definitely be one of the heavyweights, for sure. "I usually compete at around 170, Im about 165 right about now. So Im a long way off from a 115 or a 135. But at the same time, our training and the way we train with our sport, we need to be at that weight so I do what I can to maintain my weight up there." Wednesday will be Humphries first live UFC show. "Its one of those experiences that Ive never had that Im very, very excited to see." ' ' '