Holger Rune overcame big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3 to move a step closer to his first ATP Masters 1000 title in almost three years at the ongoing Shanghai Masters.
Following the hard-fought victory that saw him seal a quarterfinal berth, the World No. 11 earnestly appealed to the ATP to implement a Grand Slam-like rule in its tournaments.
What Did Holger Rune Say Over ‘Brutal’ Shanghai Conditions?
After his match, Rune was asked about the unusually hot and humid conditions in Shanghai that had already forced some withdrawals and visibly affected others, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Rune agreed that the conditions were “pretty brutal” and suggested the ATP should adopt a heat rule similar to the one used in Grand Slams.
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He said, “Yeah, I think there should be a heat rule like there are in the Grand Slam. I think every player would agree on that. Today was better, as you say, today was less hot. But again, it was less hot, but if it was more normal temperature today would be very hot. I think it was like 31 degrees and very humid. But compared to the other days it was pretty brutal.”
Rune added that while players are fit and mentally strong, there’s a limit to how much heat the body can handle, emphasizing that the tour should also consider player health and safety.
The Danish No. 1 said, “We can handle a certain amount of heat because, you know, we are fit, we’re strong, we’re mentally strong as well, but there’s always a limit. I think it’s also important to take care of your health.”
“We need to survive. I think some kind of rule, you know, not that we should stop if it’s just more than this, but like the Grand Slam, you know, they have a feeling on when it’s a little bit too much, and we wait a little bit to see if it drops.”
How has the Scorching Heat Has Affected Players in the Shanghai Masters?
Extreme heat, humidity, and unusually slow courts wreaked havoc on players in Shanghai, marking the prestigious tournament with withdrawals, medical timeouts, and visible exhaustion.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner was visibly distressed during his third-round clash with Tallon Griekspoor, eventually forced to retire after being unable to serve or move properly. Novak Djokovic, competing in Shanghai for the 11th time, vomited during a changeover in his third-round match against Yannick Hanfmann but managed to grind out a win. The 24-time major champion later described the conditions as “brutal.”
Holger Rune and Valentin Royer also required medical attention, the latter even fainting after his first-round victory because of dehydration. Meanwhile, the tournament’s Court Pace Index has dropped from 40.8 last year to 32.9, making the surface much slower and further compounding the physical toll on players.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Stefanos Tsitsipas were among the early withdrawals, while others struggled to stay on court. French player Terence Atmane retired just 40 minutes into his opening-round match after experiencing dizziness and disorientation, later revealing he “couldn’t breathe” and “didn’t know where he was.”
Similar conditions have also affected play in Wuhan’s WTA tournament.
