Competing in his second round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters, Holger Rune came out strong. The young Dane faced Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard with determination. Challenges mounted—not just from a tough serve bot, but also from the intense heat and humidity of mainland China. Yet, Rune persevered. He claimed his spot in the quarterfinals with a tough three-set win, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3. This is his maiden quarterfinal at this tournament. But Rune isn’t ready to overlook the struggle.

The Shanghai Masters is seeing a worrying number of retirements. Temperatures soared past 30°C, humidity rose above 80%, and players began dropping out. The highest-profile exit was defending champion Jannik Sinner, forced to retire mid-match due to severe cramping. Rune is still standing in the final eight, but he’s speaking out. After his win over Perricard, he said, “Yes, I think there should be a rule regarding the heat, like there is in the Grand Slam tournaments. I think all the players would agree on that. Today was better, as you say, it was less hot. But again, it was less hot, but if the temperature had been more normal, it would have been very hot today.”

The ATP currently has no formal heat policy like the Grand Slams. Instead, play suspensions for extreme weather depend on an on-site ATP supervisor working with medical teams and local officials. But the WTA Tour already has a heat policy to pause play in extreme weather. At the Wuhan Open, for example, play on all outdoor courts was halted for hours until the heat and humidity eased. Now, Rune wants the men’s tour to follow suit. He said, “I think it was around 31 degrees and the humidity was very high. But compared to other days, it was quite brutal.”

In his previous match, Rune hit a rough patch during his third-round win over Ugo Humbert on Sunday. Down a break early, the heat got the better of him, forcing a medical timeout. Stripped of his shirt and sitting miserably, Holger Rune didn’t hold back. He asked the chair umpire, “Hey, why doesn’t ATP have a good heat rule?” The umpire shrugged, “I don’t know, but that is a very good question.” As the physio checked his blood sugar and vitality, ice towels arrived to cool him down. Bold as ever, Rune murmured, “You want players to die on the court?”

Now, describing what it’s like to play in this heat, he added, “We can handle a certain amount of heat because we are fit, we are strong, we are also mentally strong, but there is always a limit. I think it is also important to take care of your health. We have to survive.”

The ATP says it’s taking action. In an email to Reuters, it confirmed “several measures in cases of extreme heat” and revealed that “additional measures, including the implementation of an official heat policy, are currently being evaluated in consultation with players, tournaments, and medical experts.” However, when these changes will be implemented is yet to be seen.

Among those retiring in the Masters 1000’s first week were Sinner, Casper Ruud, David Goffin, Hamad Medjedovic, Terence Atmane, Wu Yibing, and Tomas Machac. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic vomited during his matches against Yannick Hanfmann and even today against Jaume Munar while also dealing with an injury scare. Daniil Medvedev looked panting and exhausted after his round of 32 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Monday. Both Djokovic and Medvedev have voiced concerns about conditions in Shanghai.

ATP pros echo Holger Rune’s sentiment on the Shanghai conditions

Novak Djokovic faced more than just an opponent on Sunday at the ATP Shanghai Masters 1000. Under a punishing 30°C heat and suffocating 80% humidity, the world No.1 visibly struggled, even vomiting courtside multiple times. Still, the 24-time Grand Slam champion dug deep, rallying past Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. “It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal,” Djokovic said, per Daily Mail. “It’s brutal when you have over 80% humidity day after day, particularly for the guys playing during the day with heat, (but) with sun, it’s even more brutal.”

Daniil Medvedev also felt the heat—literally. The 2019 Shanghai champion outlasted Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6 in just under two hours but ended the match utterly spent, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily on the bench. In a clip shared by i on X, Medvedev admitted, “Yeah, it was not easy, but for me, for him too.” He later told Championat, “It had never happened before, and I must admit that it is hard to play in these conditions.”

Medvedev didn’t mince words about the situation. “There have already been numerous withdrawals and many medical time-outs in these first days of the tournament. The situation is quite worrying. I’m happy to have played my first match here in the night session and to have won with ease.” With humidity hovering around 85%, every rally has felt like a test of survival.

Now, with Holger Rune adding his voice to the chorus of concerned players, change might finally be coming. For now, Rune is eyeing his maiden Shanghai quarterfinal clash with Valentin Vacherot—can he keep the fire going, both figuratively and literally?