Holger Rune urges ATP bosses to change rules after Shanghai Masters chaos

Holger Rune has urged the ATP to take action and implement a heat rule after a concerning start to the Shanghai Masters. Players have been suffering in the hot and humid conditions, and defending champion Jannik Sinner was forced to quit his third-round match when he suffered severe cramps and could barely walk.

Sinner is one of seven men who have retired mid-match so far, and plenty of other players have been feeling the heat. Novak Djokovic threw up on court during his own third-round match, while Rune had his vitals checked earlier in the tournament.

While being checked over by the doctor on Sunday, Rune could be heard asking the trainers why there wasn't a heat rule in place. At Grand Slam tournaments, rules allow for players to take a 10-minute break before the final set, depending on the heat stress index.

Under the heat rules, play can also be modified or even suspended in extreme weather. The WTA Tour has a similar policy, and play was halted on all outdoor courts at the Wuhan Open for a few hours on Monday, until temperatures and humidity dropped.

Now, Rune wants to see something similar on the men's tour. After beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to reach the quarter-finals, the world No. 11 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.

"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."

Rune isn't the only one struggling in the brutal conditions. After throwing up mid-match on Sunday, four-time former champion Djokovic explained: "It's the same for every player out on the court, but it's brutal.

"It's brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they're playing during the day with the heat, with sun, it's even more brutal."

Rune's wishes could soon be granted, as the ATP has confirmed it is open to revising its heat policy. Currently, an on-site ATP supervisor has the power to suspend play in cases of extreme weather conditions.

"In parallel, the ATP Medical Services team implements several measures in cases of extreme heat, to help protect player health during competition," the men's tour told Reuters.

"This remains under active review and additional measures including the implementation of an official heat policy are currently being evaluated in consultation with players, tournaments, and medical experts. Player safety remains a top priority for the ATP."