Maria Sharapova was already soaking in ice by the time the extreme weather warning arrived. She didn't know it when she was out on Rod Laver Arena tangling with Karin Knapp on Thursday, but tournament organizers had finally conceded it was unsafe to keep players on court on the third consecutive day of what is shaping as a once-in-a-century heat wave. Matches were suspended for four hours as temperatures topped 43 Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) before subsiding, but that didn't apply to Sharapova and Knapp because they were already into the third set and the Extreme Heat Policy only kicks in at the end of sets in progress. Then she recalled: ''Actually, I did receive one, I think, while I was in the ice bath a few minutes ago - I was like, 'That's a little too late.''' Not long after tournament director Craig Tiley appeared outdoors in a TV interview, dressed in jacket and tie, to explain how the decisions are reached, Sharapova said organizers should be telling the tour trainers, medical staff, officials and players so that everyone is in the loop. More...