China is hot, not set ablaze by the battle of rackets but by the sun. Walkovers and medical timeouts had marred what should have been marquee battles across the ATP and WTA. The outcry over the heat and humidity has been resounding from players like Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner at the Shanghai Masters 1000. Looks like the hot weather finally caught up with the intense on-court exchange between Elise Mertens and Polina Kudermetova.

Mertens and Kudermetova had kept the fans glued to their seats with their first set ending 7-6 in favor of Mertens. But then, the Wuhan Open organizers decided to suspend play until 3:30 PM local time in the best interests of the players and the spectators. However, the battle at the Centre Court continued with the roof closed, as per the tweet by the X handle edgeAI. And the outcome? Well, that was just a repetition of the first set, minus the tiebreaker. Mertens claimed the win with a score of 6-3 in the second set and proceeded to the next round. 

Several WTA stars, such as the likes of Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu, took to social media to give their followers a glimpse of ground reality. Swiatek shared a snippet of her practice session on her stories, in which she can be seen wringing a t-shirt she wore, which was visibly drenched in sweat. Meanwhile, Raducanu shared a screenshot of the weather conditions at Wuhan on the social networking platform Threads. The temperature displayed a whopping 34 degrees Celcius, whereas it would feel like 37 degrees Celcius. 

Raducanu’s comment section of the post garnered prayers and suggestions from fans to stay safe and keep herself hydrated. Climate conditions like this risk the onset of heat strokes as was the case at the Shanghai Masters 1000. The men didn’t fare any better than the ladies, if not much worse. Between episodes of blackouts and players like Djokovic – playing his 11th campaign in the ATP 1000 event – throwing up, the withdrawal of highly touted to win prospects played out more than tennis. This begs the bigger question: What is the solution?

Will the players return to compete in China in the next season? Or will the weather keep them away? Let’s bring our focus to Djokovic and see if he’d return. 

Novak Djokovic opens up about the terrible climate during the Shanghai Masters

“I’m proud to have passed this test,” said Novak Djokovic after beating Yannick Hanfmann with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the round of 32 of the 2025 Shanghai Masters. After losing the summit clash against Jannik Sinner in 2024, Djokovic certainly would have wanted to push forth and redeem himself in China. However, the climatic conditions seemed to take a heavy toll on the Serbian, shrouding him in a veil of doubt. With Sinner forfeiting his defense of the title and Alcaraz’s early withdrawal, Djokovic’s path looks cut out, that is, if weather permits.

Talking about the harsh climatic conditions, Djokovic stated, “This is the same for everyone, but it’s brutal when you have 80% humidity day after day, especially for those who play in the morning, where the sun makes everything worse.” He claimed that biologically, it’s pretty difficult for him to deal with the heat storm. Yet, he went against Hanfmann for about three hours and defeated him in the third set. He stated, “I couldn’t ask for more, having played almost three hours in front of this crowd that was screaming my name at 38 years old in the third round of an M1000. This is like a dream for me.”

Even though the harsh climate posed a terrible obstacle, fans love that the Serbian has ignited nothing but the desire to return next year. However, the same can’t be said for many others. The heat and humidity in October are a bit too much to endure for those who are not accustomed to it. But do let us know if you think the WTA officials took the right call by suspending play? Drop us a comment.