After Sinner's withdrawal, international fans harshly criticized the Shanghai Masters: the organizers should feel ashamed.

Sinner became the latest "victim" of the tough conditions at the Shanghai Masters, with several players previously withdrawing for similar reasons. On Sunday night, Sinner's attempt to defend his title ended abruptly. In the third-round match against Griekspoor, Sinner retired in the final set. Griekspoor was leading 6-7(3), 7-5, 3-2 when, under Shanghai’s extreme humid heat, Sinner had to stop due to a cramp in his right thigh.

Sinner’s physical troubles seemed to begin in the latter part of the second set; before the start of the third set changeover, he hurriedly placed an ice towel on his neck. During the deciding set, the Italian player limped at every changeover and frequently massaged his right thigh. At the 2-1 changeover, he didn’t sit down but rested his leg on the bench, trying to ease the cramp.

“This is definitely not the way you want to win,” said Griekspoor. “The conditions this week in Shanghai have been very tough. I thought we were a bit lucky to play in the evening without sun, but after two hours and 36 minutes, halfway through the third set... I feel sorry for him and wish him a speedy recovery.”

“Both players performed very well in the first set, with strong service games,” Griekspoor added. “I think he played an incredible tiebreak: hitting several line shots and serving very well. I was a bit lucky at 3-4 in the second set; sometimes winning these matches requires a bit of luck.”

As the first Dutch player in history to reach the Shanghai Masters semifinals, Griekspoor will face qualifier Vacherot in the next round, who advanced after his opponent Mahachi retired due to injury while trailing 6-0, 3-1.

Sinner’s third-round exit in Shanghai is a significant setback in his pursuit of the PIF ATP year-end No. 1 ranking. He now trails Alcaraz by 2,540 ranking points, a key indicator in the race for year-end world No. 1.

Seeing so many withdrawals, fans have been criticizing the poor playing conditions set by the tournament organizers.

“Wow, this tournament seems cursed,” one fan wrote. “Players and their teams should consider these terrible weather conditions. Only Ethiopian players can handle this,” another fan commented. “The environment is brutal; we've seen too many medical timeouts and withdrawals,” another posted. “Rune struggled this morning, Djokovic was sick, I saw Munar still fighting hard — truly admirable, and now it’s Sinner.”

“I’ve been saying this crazy schedule harms players,” another fan stated. “The organizers should be ashamed — almost every day, 4 or 5 players withdraw.”

Besides Sinner, several other players have withdrawn due to the harsh conditions. Terrence Altman retired in the first round due to heat stress; Mejedovic withdrew after leading by a set due to exhaustion; Wu Yibing also had to retire for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, Djokovic endured a “tough” night at the Shanghai Masters. The 38-year-old, facing German qualifier Hanfmann, battled physical discomfort and a strong opponent, eventually winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Djokovic experienced unease early on, with Hanfmann’s powerful serving and varied shots causing trouble, including four consecutive aces in the first set. In the second set, Djokovic appeared to vomit during a changeover, forcing him to shorten rallies to conserve energy.

“Every player on the court is the same, but this is really brutal,” Djokovic admitted. “When humidity goes over 80% day after day, especially for those playing under the sun, the conditions become even harsher.”

Under such severe conditions, the struggles of Sinner and Djokovic not only showcase the resilience and determination of top players but also highlight the relentless challenges of the Asian season. Balancing the schedule with players’ physical limits may be a crucial issue for future tennis calendar adjustments.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)