Players and spectators roasted on day seven at Melbourne Park, where temperatures soared to 38C.

"I've had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match," said the 16th seed.

The good news is that Melbourne's notoriously fickle weather is set to change again on Sunday with forecast highs of 24C.

Given all 11 teams are in the same boat, starting from scratch, Vasseur was keen to play down expectations for the season-opener in Australia in early March.

A major upheaval of the sport's technical rule book has meant a race against time for teams to be ready for the new season.