Tennis Players Suffer from Hot Weather in China

Jannik Sinner walked with a limp due to cramps in his right leg, Novak Djokovic vomited, and Emma Raducanu withdrew from the match due to dizziness. These incidents colored the competition among professional tennis players in the WTA 1000/ATP Masters 1000 tournament in China. The top world players suffered while competing in the midst of high temperatures and humidity.

The air temperature around 34 degrees Celsius (which feels like the 40s Celsius on the field) with 65 percent humidity at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center, Wuhan, China, prompted the WTA 1000 Wuhan tournament committee to implement the "heat rule." They enforced this policy on October 7-8 to allow players to take a ten-minute break between the second and third sets.

However, Jessica Pegula and Hailey Baptiste, playing on Centre Court on Wednesday (October 8, 2025), opted to play the third set straight away. Pegula won the second set 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) on her seventh match point, after surviving the match for two hours and 33 minutes.

"When I had match point, she played well. It was a brutal match. I could have collapsed, but I managed to hold on. I'm proud I held on," said Pegula, who will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round.

Pegula and Baptiste were able to endure despite the weather conditions posing a risk to their physical condition. In addition to the temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, the humidity of 65 percent added to the challenges faced by the athletes. This percentage is above the comfort standard for most humans, which is between 30-50 percent. A scale above 50 percent makes it difficult for humans to cool their body temperature through sweating.

Therefore, Pegula and Baptiste can be considered fortunate to have navigated the weather challenges. The day before, in the same tournament, Raducanu was unable to complete her first-round match against Li Ann. Raducanu withdrew with a score of 1-6, 1-4, due to dizziness.

In addition to Raducanu, Dayana Yastremska and Jelena Ostapenko were unable to complete the first round due to their inability to withstand the hot and humid weather.

Male tennis players competing at the Shanghai Masters are facing the same suffering with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and humidity approaching 80 percent. Another factor that adds to the players' distress in Shanghai is that the ATP, as the professional tennis association for men, does not have a "heat rule," which prevents it from protecting the players, as criticized by Holger Rune.

The roof over the main court is even left open because the regulations only allow it to be closed during rain. "Do you want the tennis players to die on the court?" said Rune, who will play in the quarter-finals against qualifying player Valentin Vacherot on Thursday.

The hot air, which can cause dehydration, overwhelmed Sinner's body. He experienced cramps in his right leg from the end of the second set, leading him to walk with a limp.

Sinner tried to persevere even though he had to use his racket as a support while walking. However, the body of the tennis player with four Grand Slam titles defeated his spirit. He withdrew after competing for two hours and 36 minutes with a score of 7-6 (3), 5-7, 2-3.

Not only Sinner has to face the heat and humidity of the weather in China. This weather prevents every tennis player from performing at their best as their energy is drained more quickly. The four matches of the fourth round that took place on Tuesday lasted between two hours and 22 minutes to two hours and 48 minutes, each played in three sets.

Djokovic, one of the tennis players competing that day, staggered and vomited on the court while enduring for two hours and 41 minutes to defeat Jaime Munar. The 38-year-old player collapsed, was attended to by medical staff, then got back up and won the match. Djokovic stated that the conditions in Shanghai this year are very challenging for the physical endurance of every player.

The conditions in Shanghai on Wednesday were slightly better with a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, but it is expected to rise again by the weekend. French tennis player Arthur Rinderknech stated that it is not only the players who have to endure the hot weather.

"The conditions were difficult for the ball boys, the referee, and the spectators," said Rinderknech, who beat Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the fourth round on Wednesday. (ap/afp)