The conditions at the Shanghai Masters are proving to be really testing for players this year.
Despite Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters, there is still a very strong lineup at the Masters 1000 event, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic had already spoken about why the Shanghai Masters is different, even before taking to the court for his first match.
Alex de Minaur claimed he had never seen conditions like Shanghai, and now another ATP player has admitted he even found it difficult to breathe.
Arthur Rinderknech admits he has been struggling to breathe at the Shanghai Masters
French ATP player Arthur Rinderknech, who is the current world number 54, is making his third appearance at the Shanghai Masters this year.
Rinderknech has already beaten Hamad Medjedovic and 28th seed Alex Michelsen to achieve his best ever result at the Shanghai Masters, but he has admitted he found the latter victory very testing.
When speaking to L’Equipe after his straight sets victory over Michelsen, Rinderknech admitted he found the conditions really challenging.
“I confirm, it’s difficult to breathe on the court,” said Rinderknech. “I don’t know if we realize it on TV, but on the court it’s complicated from the warm-up. There’s crazy humidity, worse than in the United States in summer.
“In addition, we know that there’s a lot of pollution in the big cities in China and that must not help to breathe well. And there’s this cloud cover that crushes everything. But when the sun comes out, it quickly rises above 30°. All of that makes it difficult.”
Michelsen was noticeably frustrated after losing the match to Rinderknech, something the Frenchman believes was partly down to the humid conditions in Shanghai.
“Obviously the sun beats down on heads and it’s difficult to keep your cool,” added Rinderknech. “Bad impressions come very quickly. When you see the number of withdrawals or matches half-played, you can see that it also affects the mental state.
“But the conditions are the same for everyone. This week, it’s a tennis tournament, but there’s an element of battle that has nothing to do with tennis. It’s about survival, about managing to find ways to impose yourself. Self-control is important. You have to know how to optimize your body. When I look at the crowd with people soaking wet in the stands, even though they’re used to it, I tell myself that we’re not the only ones struggling.”
Arthur Rinderknech says if he thinks he can beat Alexander Zverev
After reaching the third round of the Shanghai Masters, Rinderknech will now play third seed Alexander Zverev, who has recently been struggling with a back problem.
This did not appear to be bothering Zverev too much in his opening win over another Frenchman, Valentin Royer, and he will also be the big favourite against Rinderknech.
However, in their only previous meeting, Rinderknech beat Zverev at Wimbledon earlier this year.
When speaking ahead of their upcoming match, Rinderknech suggested that he is expecting a response from Zverev.
“Zverev is world number three, that says it all,” said Rinderknech. “The Wimbledon match will remain one of the best memories of my career for life.
“But the next match will be completely different. I’m not saying I can’t beat him, because I’ve already done it, but the bar will be very high.”
Rinderknech will look to continue his unbeaten record against Zverev when they play at the Shanghai Masters on Monday, October 6.
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