“Do you want a player to die on court?” – Rune and Djokovic demand change after Shanghai heat crisis

The Shanghai Masters 1000 is unfolding amid a wave of withdrawals, retirements, and physical meltdowns. Carlos Alcaraz pulled out after winning in Tokyo, Jannik Sinner was forced to retire mid-match due to cramping, and Novak Djokovic has battled vomiting against Yannick Hanfmann and physical exhaustion against Jaume Munar. The combination of more than 86°F and over 80% humidity has turned the tournament into an endurance test for even the fittest players.

On Thursday, the first quarterfinals take place, with Holger Rune (No. 11) facing Valentin Vacherot (No. 204) and Novak Djokovic meeting Zizou Bergs (No. 44) at 12:30 p.m. ET. At 38, Djokovic is fighting not only his younger rivals but also the brutal climate.

After surviving another physically draining win, the world No. 1 admitted:

“It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal,” Djokovic said. “It’s brutal when you have over 80% humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they’re playing during the day with heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal. For me, biologically it’s a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today.”

His round-of-16 clash with Munar illustrated that struggle vividly. Djokovic required treatment for a leg injury and was visibly unwell as he pushed through exhaustion to prevail 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

“Do you want a player to die on court?”

That was Holger Rune’s furious outburst toward the chair umpire during his match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Dane later elaborated:

“I think there should be a heat rule like there are in the Grand Slams … we need to survive,” he told reporters afterward. “We can handle a certain amount of heat because we’re athletes, we’re fit, strong, also mentally … but there’s always a limit. I think it’s important to take care of our health.”

Rune was referring to a system similar to that used at the Australian Open, which combines temperature, solar radiation, humidity, and wind to determine when play must be suspended or moved indoors once a critical threshold is reached.

Pollution adds to the misery

Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech (No. 54), one of the surprises of the tournament who faces Félix Auger-Aliassime next, offered his own perspective:

“It was as hard for the ball kids, for the umpire, for the fans … everybody was like this—blowing air to the face because it was really hot,” he said. “There’s also a lot of pollution in the big Chinese cities, and that doesn’t help. A layer of clouds traps everything, and when the sun comes out, the temperature jumps above 30 degrees, making it really tough to play.”

ATP considers formal heat policy

The growing player complaints have reached the ATP. The organization confirmed to Reuters that it is now “evaluating measures, including the implementation of an official heat policy, after consulting with players, tournaments and medical experts.”

Currently, decisions to halt or modify play are made by the onsite supervisor and medical staff, but the mounting pressure from players may push the ATP to formalize protections similar to those seen in Grand Slam events.

As Rune put it bluntly after his Shanghai ordeal: “We’re athletes, not machines. Sometimes, it feels like the conditions are testing that.”

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