Would Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic have been forced to play tennis in the thick smoke blanketing Melbourne on Tuesday?
That's the question American professional Noah Rubin is asking ahead of his first round Australian Open qualifying match this week.
And the answer, says the 23-year-old, is no.
Rubin took to social media on Tuesday morning to highlight the terrible air quality in Melbourne as a result of smoke from the devastating bushfires around the country.
Again, just wished we knew the numbers they were looking at. All numbers surrounding park are around 200 and over still. The “word on the street” is that anything under 200 is more than fine. pic.twitter.com/tLdTnb8ZFL
— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) January 14, 2020
Melbourne's air quality was ranked amoung the worst in the world on Tuesday, with Maria Sharapova's Kooyong Classic match against Laura Seigemund called off at 5-5 in the second set.
At Melbourne Park, Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic was forced to abandon her first round Australian Open qualifying match after struggling to breathe while up a set against Stefanie Voegele.
"If this was Federer or Djokovic playing in the finals, would we have done things differently? That's always the always the question, and you'd have to think they would not be playing in these conditions," Rubin told Sporting News.
"To force qualifiers to play, it's a tough place to be in."
The situation surrounding the qualifiers highlights the difference between the players at the very top of the sport and the vast majority of players for whom qualification to the Australian Open can make or break a season.
MORE: When does the Australian Open start?
“We don't have too many chances to make this kind of money and move up in the rankings,” Rubin said.
“Hypothetically speaking, if we lose in the first round, this is easily the most money we'll make at any tournament, so to say that you're gonna pull out or not play is a very tough ask.
“If you qualify, you're making really good money, you have momentum, good points and a lot of opportunity. That could easily allow for a great year of tennis.
"People say 'just pull out' but this is my livelihood, this is my life and my profession.”
Rubin said there was even more confusion due to the lack of communication between tournament organisers and players.
"(There was) very little communication - if any," he said.
"In the beginning apparently they sent out an email which I didn't receive. I felt we should be receiving an email every hour with an update of the air quality, and we didn't have that, so I'm not 100 per cent sure what the communication issues are and what's happening.
"I'm a little bit disappointed and I'd have liked to see a little bit more effort to at least inform the players - regardless of the outcome.
"Just keep us updated constantly. I want to receive a text every 30 minutes about the air quality.
"They may think of it as not that serious, but I'm out there playing tennis for three hours. They're not."
Rubin, who is scheduled to play Japan's Hiroki Moriya on Wednesday, arrived in Melbourne on the weekend and says air conditions have grown gradually worse since Monday morning.
He only practised for 45 minutes of his one hour long session on Tuesday, and is worried about long term effects on his health.
Despite his concerns, the world number 249 isn't planning on pulling out from qualifying.
“We can complain about it, but we're not going to pull out - I don't have the luxury of pulling out of a tournament like this," he said.
"I'm a professional, but the fact that there's ballboys and other people out there is kind of ridiculous.
"I'm going to play the match tomorow unless doctors say 'do not play,' but it's sad that the Australian Open is forcing players to make this decision."