Holger Rune calls for drastic ATP rule change as ‘brutal’ Shanghai conditions cause havoc

Oli Dickson Jefford 07 Oct 2025 2:45 PM

Holger Rune takes a break during his match

Holger Rune has called for the ATP Tour to introduce a ‘heat rule’ to tackle challenging conditions, with several players struggling with extremely demanding heat at the Shanghai Masters this week.

World No 11 Rune has made it through to the quarter-final of the Shanghai Masters for the first time, with the 10th seed beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the last eight.

It is the 11th Masters 1000 quarter-final of the Dane’s career, and it may go down as one of his most impressive runs, with several players struggling with extreme heat in the Chinese city.

The temperature in Shanghai has regularly risen above 30°C, with high levels of humidity making the conditions even more challenging — with high-profile players notably affected.

World No 2 and defending champion Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to cramping in his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor, while world No 4 Taylor Fritz was visibly struggling during his loss to 32nd seed Mpetshi Perricard in round three.

Grand Slam events and the WTA Tour have rules in place to protect players from the heat, with the WTA allowing its players to take a 10-minute break before a third set when the heat and humidity meet a certain threshold.

That rule has already been used at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open, also being held in China this week, though the ATP has no such equivalent as things stand.

When asked about potential rule changes, Rune agreed that the ATP needed to adjust and suggested the body could copy the four majors, all of which have varying rules in place to protect players from extreme conditions.

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“I think there should be a heat rule like there are in the Grand Slam,” said Rune. “I think every player would agree on that.

“Today was better, 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.”

Also commenting on the conditions on Tuesday was first-time Masters 1000 quarter-finalist Zizou Bergs, who saved two match points to defeat Gabriel Diallo in a three-set thriller.

He added: “Two days ago, it was just absolutely brutal.

“But the other days are not easy either. I feel like you get used to it a little bit. It’s still tough today outside, you still sweat a lot. I’m right here standing in a swimming pool.”

Conditions have been slightly cooler in Shanghai on Tuesday, though they are expected to rise again as the tournament continues.

The final will be held on Sunday, October 12th, with highs of 35°C currently forecast by BBC Weather, with high levels of humidity also expected.

Rune will face either 27th seed Griekspoor or Valentin Vacherot in his quarter-final on Thursday, when temperatures of 31°C are currently forecast.