Emma Raducanu was forced to retire due to illness from her first match at the Wuhan Open after appearing to struggle with the adverse weather conditions.
Raducanu is the latest player to fall foul of the conditions in China, with Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner also struggling to deal with the soaring heat and humidity during their opening matches in Shanghai.
Sinner was forced to retire from his opening match at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday due to cramp in his right thigh, while Djokovic vomited on court, before labelling the conditions as ‘brutal.’
A number of other players have also withdrawn from matches in the last week, including Tomas Machac, Casper Ruud, David Goffin, Hamad Medjedovic, Terence Atmane and Wu Yibing.
Temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, combined with 80 per cent humidity, have left some of tennis’ finest athletes struggling to compete, sparking concerns for their health.
Jonathan Overend says tennis is at ‘breaking point’
Well-respected commentator Jonathan Overend weighed in on Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from Wuhan after watching her opening match against Ann Li.
Li led the contest 6-1, 4-1 when Raducanu retired from the match.
“That is a real setback after some progress made and some tough challenges posed to some very good players in Asia,” Overend said during Sky Sports’ coverage.
“The stats are pretty irrelevant in circumstances like that. So rest up, get yourself better.
“This is a grind and it is brutal out in Asia at the moment with the temperatures and humidity and it can strike anybody at any time.
“We have seen better players than Emma Raducanu get struck down by heat illness over the last couple of weeks.
“It’s a major talking point at the moment and a major problem for the sport moving forward.”
Discourse regarding the adverse weather conditions in China has been far from the only concern for players in recent memory.
Throughout the 2025 season, concerns regarding the schedule have been raised by Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Ultimately, the sport may be at a ‘breaking point,’ as pointed out by Jonathan Overend.
“In the last 24 hours we have seen Taylor Fritz say I have hit a wall, I need to take a time out,” Overend added.
“We have seen Daria Kasatkina say I am mentally shot this season, I am ending my season now, I can’t do it anymore.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that tennis this week, it feels is at breaking point.
“We have Sinner limping around with cramp, Medvedev at the previous tournament as well, so many withdrawals in Shanghai. What are we doing as a sport? This is not sustainable.”
What did Novak Djokovic say about the conditions?
Following his comeback victory against world number 150 Yannick Hanfmann on Sunday, Novak Djokovic commented on the conditions in Shanghai.
Djokovic struggled to manage the adverse circumstances, vomiting on court during the match.
Djokovic, who equalled a record held by Rafael Nadal, told reporters: “It’s the same for every player out on the court, but it’s brutal.
“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.”
