World No. 11 Holger Rune has urged the ATP to implement a heat rule after a chaotic start to the Shanghai Masters. There were seven retirements through the first three rounds, while plenty of players – including Rune himself – have had their vitals checked mid-match.
The Danish star explained: “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.
“So I think there should be some kind of rule. 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.”