'Do you want a player to die?': Novak Djokovic collapses on court, players concerned over 'brutal' Shanghai heat
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after losing the second set but recovered to beat Jaume Munar 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in hot and humid conditions at the Shanghai Masters.
After losing a long rally by sending a forehand wide 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 then 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.
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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.”
Djokovic needed medical attention. Getty
"It's the same for every player out on the court, but it's brutal," Djokovic said post-match.
"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 heat, with sun, it's even more brutal."
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 quarter-finals in Shanghai in 2019.
Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 41st Masters title. He will next face Zizou Bergs of Belgium.
Tenth-seeded Holger Rune also came through a tough challenge, defeating big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3.
Rune, the world number 11, also complained of the heat and asked "do you want a player to die on court?" during his win.
Holger Rune receives treatment during his win. Getty
"We can handle a certain amount of heat, because we're strong, and mentally strong as well, but there is always a limit," he told reporters after the match.
On Tuesday, Emma Raducanu retired from her Wuhan Open match after struggling to overcome the conditions, having her blood pressure checked on court.
Elsewhere, Iga Świątek,who enjoyed a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Marie Bouzková, said scheduling needed to be amended to account for the conditions.
"I hope the other matches will be scheduled at a time where girls can compete, rather than just die on the court," Swiatek said.
The ATP said it would consider introducing a formal heat rule and its highest priority is player safety.
