US EditionThe Men's Tennis Tour Is Adding a Heat Rule Like the One the Women Have Had for More than 30 Years
The ATP Tour introduces 10-minute heat breaks for men's matches based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature readings to protect players and staff from rising extreme heat conditions.
- On Monday, the ATP Board approved a new extreme-heat policy allowing 10-minute breaks in best-of-three-sets singles matches starting next season to strengthen player protections.
- Following visible heat incidents at Shanghai, players urged ATP guidance after severe leg cramps and vomiting at the October Shanghai Masters, while an Associated Press analysis found rising tournament temperatures in 2023.
- The rule uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature metric, allowing a 10-minute break at 30.1 degrees Celsius and halting matches at 32.2 degrees Celsius under ATP medical staff supervision with coaching permitted.
- The change affects tournament operations and timing as ATP said the measure safeguards spectators, officials, ball persons and tournament staff, though Grand Slam tournaments set their own heat policies.
- Following long-standing women's protections, the men's tour now acts as Novak Djokovic said 'it's brutal' when you have over 80% humidity, addressing a lag in formal guidance.
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Tennis-ATP to introduce new heat policy from 2026 season
Dec 16 (Reuters) - The ATP Tour said it will introduce a new heat policy that will come into effect from 2026 after a string of retirements due to soaring temperatures and punishing humidity at the Shanghai Masters earlier this season. Read full story
»Do you want a player to die on the court?« Thus, tennis pro Holger Rune had complained about the heat on the court. ATP now reacts with new rules.
In the face of insistent criticism and obvious dangers, the body manages the men's professional tennis circuit on Tuesday announced the introduction of the same rule as the women's circuit against extreme heat from 2026.This allows a competitor to ask for a 10-minute break during the third set to cool down if the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index (WBGT) which takes into account notably the temperature, humidity and wind, reaches the 30.1 index in…
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