“Would you like a participant to die on court docket?”
That was the query Holger Rune requested an official as he was handled by a health care provider and physio in gruelling circumstances on the Shanghai Masters.
With temperatures reaching as excessive as 34C and humidity at 80% within the daytime on the finish of an extended season, gamers are feeling the influence bodily.
Situations are comparable 500 miles west on the Wuhan Open, the place Emma Raducanu retired from her first-round match on Tuesday with dizziness. On Monday, matches on the surface courts had been halted and the roof on the primary court docket closed.
After retiring with sickness from a match in opposition to Sorana Cirstea on Tuesday, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko revealed she had “suffered a warmth stroke”.
Iga Swiatek loved a 6-1 6-1 rout of Marie Bouzkova, however the world quantity two stated afterwards she was grateful to not have performed on Monday, when the warmth was “an excessive amount of for a lot of the gamers”.
“I hope the opposite matches might be scheduled at a time the place ladies can compete, fairly than simply die on the court docket,” Swiatek added.
Again in Shanghai, Rune had his blood stress taken and an ice towel round his shoulders after feeling unwell in his third-round win over Ugo Humbert on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic stated the circumstances in his gruelling third-round win had been “brutal”, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard stated he felt like he was “dying on the court docket” due to the humidity, and Jannik Sinner may barely stroll as he was hit by cramps in his Sunday night time match.
Terence Atmane, who retired from his first-round match on Thursday, posted on Instagram that his on-court stress was heightened by the warmth.
“After the primary level of the match each of my fingers had been shaking,” the Frenchman wrote.
“After the second recreation and a cushty 2-0 lead I instantly felt my total physique shaking and I used to be suffocating after each level.
“The warmth stress I’ve confronted right this moment may have been worse than shedding my consciousness for an hour and simply fast heartbeat…”
Rune, as he was being handled on Sunday, requested why males’s governing physique the ATP has no warmth rule in place.
“It is an excellent query,” was the reply.
Denmark’s Rune returned to the theme on Tuesday after a three-set win over Mpetshi Perricard within the fourth spherical.
The world quantity 11 stated he thought “each participant would agree” a rule must be launched.
“We will deal with a certain quantity of warmth, as a result of we’re sturdy and mentally sturdy as nicely, however there may be at all times a restrict.
“It’s additionally vital to deal with your well being. We have to survive.”
