Rune erupts against the ATP: "There must be a rule for extreme heat, as in the Grand Slams"

Holger Rune is one of the big names of the day at the Shanghai Masters 1000. The Dane reached his eleventh quarterfinal in a tournament of this category despite the harsh weather conditions in the Asian tournament, a factor that adds more value to his victory today in the round of 16 against the always tough Gio Mpetshi Perricard. It also provides an extra boost of confidence before facing 2026, in which he expects, perhaps, many changes in his tennis.

Following his victory today, Holger Rune did not hesitate to speak clearly about the heat and humidity that the players are enduring in the Asian tournament. He pointed towards the ATP, which has no rules regarding extreme heat, unlike the Grand Slams. A clear and concise criticism in a press conference where he discussed other topics, such as his fighting spirit and determination this week, and how he feels about his tennis at this point in the season.

Holger Rune, critical of the ATP for the lack of rules regarding extreme heat

- Conditions in Shanghai and a clear request to the circuit

"I think we should have a rule regarding extreme heat like they have at the Grand Slams, without a doubt. Any player would agree on that. Today maybe it was a bit better, not as hot as yesterday, but even if it were a more normal temperature, it would still be very hot. I think it was around 31 degrees with a lot of humidity, compared to other days it's still brutal. There should be some kind of rule. We can endure a certain amount of heat because we are athletes, in shape, strong, also mentally... but there is a limit."

It is important that we take care of our health. We have to survive. There should be some kind of rule, it's not that we have to suddenly stop if it gets hotter than this, but something similar to the Grand Slams, where if they feel the heat is a bit too much, they can wait a bit to see if it decreases. Something like that."

- A fantastic performance against Perricard, no service breaks, with 36 winners and only nine unforced errors

"These are great stats, I didn't know them. They are fantastic. I think today I had a very, very disciplined match. I made the right decisions throughout the match. I didn't try to play flashy or super spectacular, just focused and doing things right. You try to be aggressive because you don't want him to be attacking all the time, but you also have to accept that when he tries to outplay you, you have to maintain good positioning, not give him too much space to direct his shots, and try to position yourself on the forehand as soon as you can and stay inside the baseline, even moving up to the net when possible. The key was fighting for every point and accepting whatever happened."

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- After losing the second set, the key was regaining focus in the third

"I lost the second set tiebreak, it didn't feel good. I had a chance, misjudged a volley at 6-all, but it happens. I regained focus with good feelings. I started the third set very strong, very focused, fighting for every point. My fighting spirit was there, at a high level. My first match here in Shanghai was good, the second was a bit different, more about battling the heat, but today I showed a high level again. There wasn't much rhythm, it's a different type of match, more focused on serve, return, and the first shot. I know the next match will offer me a different challenge."

- Facing Perricard's monstrous serve, how do you approach that shot

"He has a very powerful serve. He served at very high speed. When he serves with precision, you know it's impossible to play. I tried to be there every time he made a small mistake. I made a small adjustment in my returns, but very slight, because I returned very well throughout the match. I tried to make him hit the first ball after the serve very low so that he had to hit from low to high on the next shot."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rune estalla contra la ATP: "Debe haber una regla de calor extremo, como en los Grand Slams"