It’s fair to say that when it comes to the ATP stars at the Shanghai Masters, they’re starting to drop like flies.
When it comes to the top seeds in the world of tennis, Novak Djokovic has become the last man standing ahead of his match against Jaume Munar tomorrow.
Alexander Zverev was the highest seed left in the draw but was dumped out by his own nemesis, Arthur Rinderknech.
Elsewhere, Jannik Sinner was praised by Tallon Griekspoor after being forced to retire with cramp, and Carlos Alcaraz didn’t even make the flight to Shanghai and chose to withdraw.
Taylor Fritz lost to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and struggled with exhaustion, whilst other players have fallen foul of the heat and severe humidity on display at the tournament.
Given the number of issues with the weather and how it’s impacted the elite players, it’s surely now time for the ATP to adopt one rule that is currently used well on the WTA Tour.
ATP must bring in rule change that works so well on the WTA Tour
With the heat and humidity really taking it out of the players at the Shanghai Masters, this has to be the tournament that sees either the ATP take a proactive approach or alternatively, the players take a stand.
Elite sportspeople can’t be asked to play in such conditions without the right amount of rest, and perhaps things could be helped if a leaf is taken out of the WTA rule book.
In the WTA, players are permitted to take a 10-minute off-court break between the second and third sets should any match go the distance and the conditions are too hot.
Anything over 30.1 or 86.2 degrees Fahrenheit means the players are allowed to take the allotted 10 minutes and use it to top up on fluids and get ready for the final set.
With the men’s players struggling in the sweltering conditions at the Shanghai Masters on the back of a long season, this really has to come into consideration on the ATP Tour.
What Holger Rune has said about the conditions in Shanghai
Rune came through a match against Ugo Humbert on Sunday and he will now face Perricard after his brilliant win over Fritz.
During his 6-4, 6-4 win over Humbert, however, Rune expressed some concerns with the umpire over the conditions and the length of time the players were allowed to rest.
He said: “Why doesn’t the ATP have a rule regarding the heat? Do you want a player to die on the court?”
Rune has a point. It’s time for the players to act and the ATP could have some serious problems on their hands if they continue going to warm climates and not letting the players get adequate breaks.
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