Overview
- ATP told Reuters it is actively reviewing additional protections, including an official heat policy, in consultation with players, tournaments and medical experts, noting that on-site supervisors currently make weather calls case by case.
- Oppressive conditions in Shanghai — temperatures above 30°C with 80–90% humidity — coincided with multiple incidents, including Jannik Sinner’s retirement for severe cramping and Novak Djokovic’s vomiting and near collapse before advancing.
- Further signs of distress included a string of retirements and unusual equipment changes, with Alexander Zverev swapping sweat-soaked shoes mid-game and Jaume Munar borrowing his coach’s dry socks.
- Sinner flew to Monte Carlo for rest and tests; his camp says the problem was heat-related cramping rather than a structural injury, and he currently plans to keep Riyadh and Vienna on his schedule pending checks.
- The WTA and the Australian Open already employ formal heat protocols, and calls from former players highlight pressure to reform rules and rethink scheduling as debates over the crowded calendar intensify.