Lightning does strike twice sometimes. And it happened at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, with Alexander Zverev being on the wrong end of it. A grueling Round of 32 encounter that lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes eventually saw the World No. 3 fall to Arthur Rinderknech, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 for the second time this season following his first round exit to the Rinderknech at Wimbledon.

It was a big win for the Frenchman, just his second win against the top-5, with both coming against Zverev. That in itself is a big talking point against the German. However, the bigger issue in this tournament has been the harsh conditions the players are playing in. The hot and humid weather of Shanghai has already resulted in big upset results, be it injuries or defeats, with most players complaining. And when asked, Rinderknech had the same words as his colleagues.

Tennis Legend’s X handle shared the Frenchman’s statements in the on-court post-match interview: “It’s tough! It’s tough for everyone,” Rinderknech said after beating Alexander Zverev. “Half the matches don’t go the full distance. Half the matches, the guys end up with cramps.” Talking about his own match and how draining it was, the World No. 54 quipped, “We use an incredible number of polo (shirts) at each match. Fortunately, the laundry here works very well. I’m going to do a lot of laundry for the next match.”

That’s one way you could tell how difficult it must be for the players here at the Shanghai Masters this year. The intense heat and high humidity got the players’ jerseys drenched, and them huffing and puffing throughout the match. In fact, Novak Djokovic made the same laundry joke after his R64 match against Marin Cilic. “A lot of sweating. The laundry bills will be quite high this week,” the Serbian said.

And he has also complained about the conditions after both of his matches. When the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is known for leading one of the most physically disciplined and holistic lifestyles on tour, starts vomiting mid-match, you know the conditions are not just difficult, they are a punishment. Jannik Sinner has retired; Casper Ruud has retired. Players like Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe have bowed out in the initial rounds. Now, Alexander Zverev has followed suit.

Terence Atmane was one of the first casualties from the 2025 Shanghai Masters, retiring after being unable to breathe. “I was shaking. It was impossible for me to remember where I was,” Atmane shared in his Instagram story. “It was impossible for me to tell you which day of the week it was. My body sent me a signal, the signal to stop this immediately.” He further wrote, “I’m still confused about what happened today, and I don’t remember much. The heat stress I faced today could have been worse than losing consciousness for an hour and a rapid heartbeat.”

No wonder the fans have come out in support of the players, worried about their well-being. But Alexander Zverev is catching flak from the fans for different reasons.

Alexander Zverev getting no support from otherwise sympathetic fans

Each and every player has complained about the testing conditions in Shanghai. In turn, the fans have raised their voices, criticizing the system that has led to this. One fan mentioned, “I’ve been saying it for a long time, friend… money and interests are killing tennis… neither is anything being done nor is there any desire.”

Another fan raised an important point about the way tennis has become. “Tennis is incredibly physical these days, brutal matches played in brutal conditions. Ngl though, I do miss the finesse and guile that was more prevalent in the game in the 70s/80s/90s. Shorter points, now it really is a baseline slugfest in most tournaments. Has to play a part.”

This comes after tennis legend Roger Federer raised the issue that all tennis courts are becoming the same, every surface favoring a slower game that suits Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. This stance was also supported by Alexander Zverev. Well, the fans have given their response to what they think about the German’s comments. Let’s just say his defeat to Rinderknech came at a very bad time.

“Alexander Zverev should retire. He is finished,” one fan hit back. And most fans are just brutally mocking Zverev for speaking against Sinner and Alcaraz. “Alexander Zverev is so sorry dude cannot speak on another player, he can’t even compete with Rinderknect😂😂”. Well, being World No. 3 and losing back-to-back to a player outside the top 50 won’t help your case. And Zverev has been underperforming for a while, making it easy for the fans to call him out.