Melbourne, January 23: Melbourne was hit with "dirty downpour" and "brown rain" after mud fell along with the rain on Wednesday. The downpour covered Australian Open courts in thick mud and the courts had to undergo a thorough cleaning. Twitter was left gasping after images emerged of the blue courts covered in orange or red dirt from the Melbourne Park. Australian Open 2020: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams in 3rd Round.

Apart from the general reactions, there were tweets asking the Australian Open Grand Slam management the reason for holding the major despite the devastating bushfire and now the muddy rain. Australian Open 2020 Live Streaming & Match Time in IST: How to Watch Free Live Telecast of Tennis Grand Slam on Star Sports TV Channel and Hotstar Online in India.

Check the Twitter Reactions Below

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The Question

The rain resulted in the delay of matches by close to couple of hours. The workers at Melbourne Park worked overtime to get rid of the red or orange mud that had accumulated on the court. Australian Open 2020 Men's Singles: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Daniil Medvedev & Dominic Thiem, 5 Players to Watch Out For in Tennis' First Grand Slam of The Year.

"Due to the rain and dust overnight the outside courts need high-pressure cleaning," tweeted the organisers. "Our team is working across Melbourne Park to prepare the outside courts for play," they added. The dirty rain, blamed on smoke hanging in the air from Australia's raging bushfires, is just the latest hazard at a tournament that has been beset by meteorological mishaps, reported AFP.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2020 07:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).