The moment Novak Djokovic’s body gave out in ‘brutal’ heat

Shanghai: Novak Djokovic collapsed during a brutal encounter with world No.41 Jaume Munar in hot and humid conditions at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, the latest in a string of stars left needing medical attention at the tournament because of the conditions.

After losing a long rally to end the second set, Djokovic slumped to the ground and remained sprawled on his back with his forearm over his eyes for several seconds. He slowly sat up and rested his head between his legs before he was helped back to his chair by a trainer.

He was given medical treatment in his chair before the start of the third set but then broke Munar straight away after his opponent missed a simple overhead when leading 40-15. Djokovic recovered to win 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

The 38-year-old Djokovic declined to do the traditional on-court interview after the match but wrote on X: “Tough day at the office. Very challenging physically.”

The win made Djokovic the oldest man to reach the last eight at an ATP Masters 1000 event – two months older than Roger Federer was when he reached the quarters in Shanghai in 2019.

Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 41st Masters title. He will next face Zizou Bergs of Belgium.

Djokovic, 38, had to take a medical timeout against Munar after picking up a leg injury during the first set of an encounter that stretched to two hours and 41 minutes. As he struggled with the heat, medics checked his vitals at one point, as the temperature stayed near 30 degrees and humidity hovered around 80 per cent.

The Serbian had also vomited against Yannick Hanfmann on Sunday, the same day world No.2 Jannik Sinner retired due to cramps.

Djokovic had called the conditions “brutal” earlier in the tournament.

Earlier on Tuesday, Emma Raducanu retired from her Wuhan Open match against Ann Li after struggling with exhaustion and having her blood pressure checked on a hot and humid afternoon.

The governing body of men’s tennis could consider a formal heat rule after the string of retirements in Shanghai this week blew the draw wide open, as top players wilted under soaring temperatures and punishing humidity.

Sinner’s title defence ended in agony on Sunday when the Italian struggled to walk due to cramp in his right thigh before he retired in the deciding set of his third-round clash with Tallon Griekspoor.

Holger Rune was heard asking an official during a medical timeout in his meeting with Ugo Humbert if players had to “die on court” amid the heat and humidity.

“It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal,” Djokovic said after he battled to victory against Hanfmann.

“It’s brutal when you have over 80 per cent of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they’re playing during the day with the heat, with sun, it’s even more brutal.”

Others including Casper Ruud, Tomas Machac, David Goffin, Térence Atmane, Hamad Medjedovic and Wu Yibing were unable to pull through and retired mid-match due to illness or injury in the early rounds.

Loading

The need for a formal ATP heat rule had sprung up in August in Cincinnati when Arthur Rinderknech collapsed on court during a match in sweltering conditions before handing Felix Auger-Aliassime the victory.

Under ATP regulations, decisions on the suspension of play due to adverse weather conditions – including extreme heat – lie with an onsite ATP supervisor who coordinates with medical teams at the venue as well as local authorities.

However, the elite body said it was open to change.

“This remains under active review and additional measures including the implementation of an official heat policy are currently being evaluated in consultation with players, tournaments, and medical experts,” the ATP said.

Click here to read article