The injury list is piling up at the Shanghai Masters, with world number two Jannik Sinner the most recent addition.
After dealing with severe cramping in his third-round clash with Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner was forced to retire from the contest.
He joins a growing tally of withdrawals at the ATP Masters 1000 event, which includes top stars such as Casper Ruud, David Goffin, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Many players have noted how tough the conditions are in Shanghai, including Novak Djokovic, who said the high levels of humidity mixed with the slow court speed make it ‘brutal’.
Anne Keothavong tells ATP stars to speak out if they want change
Speaking on Sky Sports, former British tennis star Anne Keothavong has called for ATP players to speak out for change to prevent more injuries in the future.
“I do think something needs to be done about the speed of the court,” she said.
“They need to speed up the courts, especially when players are competing in conditions like this. We know it’s always going to be hot and humid in China at this time of year, so why are we making it harder for the players?
“It is up to the tours and tournaments, but surely the tours, in their wish to support players and listen to the players, you would think it would be common sense.
“Maybe it needs to come from the top players and for them to decide how much we want to play.
“There are only a few players who really move the needle, so maybe it requires those players to speak out about it and help make the change, if they want it. We don’t have the world number one and two in this event any more”
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Shanghai Masters after winning the Japan Open, citing ‘physical issues’.
Every player to retire mid-match at the Shanghai Masters so far
So far, seven players in the main draw in Shanghai have retired mid-match due to injury.
On the second day of the event, Hamad Medjedovic, Terence Atmane, and Wu Yibing all called a halt to their opening-round clashes.
Then followed Ruud’s withdrawal in the round of 64, with the Norwegian suffering from pain in his wrist against Zizou Bergs.
Sinner, Machac, and Goffin all pulled out on the same day, and the Italian has blown the draw wide open.
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