Swiatek, Rune speak out on China heat

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM IGA SWIATEK, HOLGER RUNE AND ALEX DE MINAUR ON HEAT AND CHALLENGING PLAYING CONDITIONS IN CHINA RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: WUHAN, CHINA (OCTOBER 7, 2025) (WTA/DAZN – See restrictions) 1.(SOUNDBITE) (English) WTA WORLD NUMBER TWO, IGA SWIATEK PLAYING AT WUHAN OPEN, SAYING:  “Honestly, I feel like it's getting hotter in different places over the years. So I already experienced that, for example, in Cincinnati this year. So I'm just trying to, yeah, use my experience, recover well between the points, and just spend all my energy on having the best quality possible. But for sure, it's a challenge and, well, I'm happy I didn't play yesterday because it was, I think, you know, too much for most of the players. So I just hope our matches will be scheduled in a time. I mean, on Centre Court, I think it's a little bit cooler because of the air conditioning and everything, but I hope the other matches will be scheduled in a time where girls can really, like, compete, rather than just die on the court.” SHANGHAI, CHINA (OCTOBER 5, 2025) (ATP MEDIA / IMG – See restrictions before use) 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERVIEWER AT ATP SHANGHAI MASTERS ASKING: "Holger, tough work today with the heat and the humidity. When the doctor was cold, how much were you struggling?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) ATP WORLD NUMBER 11, HOLGER RUNE, SAYING: "I was struggling a lot, but… It was for a certain amount of time, then I felt better after. The doctor told me and the physio also told me to do some more breathing and stuff, so they were very nice. So big credit to them, keeping it very relaxed under this heat stress. So I think, I just, I knew what I was going into. I warmed up today. I knew it was going to be hot and I just thought, okay, it's going to be hot also for him. And, you know, we're both Europeans, so we're not, you know, quite used to this kind of weather." SHANGHAI, CHINA (OCTOBER 6, 2025) (ATP MEDIA / IMG – See restrictions before use) 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ATP WORLD NUMBER 7, ALEX DE MINAUR, SAYING: "But I came in to this week, knowing how tough the conditions were going to be. So the mindset ultimately is surviving and finding ways and getting ready for battles every time you step out on court, and there's no such thing as easy matches, especially in these types of conditions. So I'm glad I was able to compose myself in the second serve and kind of get the break back and finish it off in two, because if we went into a third, it would have been very, very physical." 4. WHITE FLASH 5. "Well, today's going to be officially my first ice bath, so I'm very much looking forward to that. I'm going to see. Normally, it's probably my most hated thing in the whole tennis world to do an ice bath, but I think it's going to feel very refreshing today." STORY: World tennis top stars Iga Swiatek and Holger Rune have voiced their concerns on the harsh playing conditions at the ongoing WTA and ATP tournaments in China. The WTA world number two Swiatek said the heat was "too much for the players" to take especially on the outside courts at the Wuhan Open. The harsh conditions forced play to be suspended on all outdoor courts on Monday. On Tuesday, an exhausted Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure checked during a medical timeout before retiring while trailing 6-1 4-1 to Ann Li at the Wuhan Open first round, with the temperature nearing 35 degrees Celsius on a humid afternoon. Raducanu posted a screenshot of her phone screen on social media, displaying a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile at the  Shanghai Masters, top players wilted under soaring temperatures and punishing humidity.  World number two Jannik 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. Novak Djokovic vomited during his encounter with Yannick Hanfmann while 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. Rune admitted he was "struggling a lot", though it was for a certain amount of time.  Others including Casper Ruud, Tomas Machac, David Goffin, Terrence Atmane, Hamad Medjedovic and Wu Yibing were unable to pull through and retired mid-match due to illness or injury in the early rounds. The temperature was at around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the opening rounds with the humidity soaring over 80% at times. 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. The governing body of men's tennis could consider a formal heat rule after the string of retirements at the events. "In parallel, the ATP Medical Services team implements several measures in cases of extreme heat, to help protect player health during competition," the governing body told Reuters via email. However, the elite body said it was open to change. (Production: Bhagya Ayyavoo)

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