Berrettini alerts the ATP: "We don't want to see players suffer like that"
He thought he had seen it all, but the Asian tour left its mark on Matteo Berrettini like never before. The Italian describes unbearable conditions and calls on the ATP to act to preserve both health and the spectacle.
Matteo Berrettini passed the first round of the ATP 250 in Stockholm yesterday, winning his second match since his return to competition in September. The former world No. 6, Wimbledon finalist in 2021, reflected on the hellish conditions of the Asian tour.
In statements relayed by The Tennis Gazette, he calls on the ATP to implement regulations regarding heat:
"During the Asian tour, I experienced conditions I had never encountered before. It was even hotter in Hangzhou than in Shanghai, but nobody knew because it was a small tournament.
It was so hot it was hard to believe. Fortunately, they had a roof because there was a lot of rain. When conditions are that extreme, the ATP must follow what the Grand Slams have established, meaning a rule regarding heat or something like that.
We don't want to see players get injured or suffer in that way. Ultimately, health comes first, as does the spectacle, and when players don't feel well, they withdraw.
We don't want that. Most people don't understand how different it can be to play in the same tournament with five degrees less or more."
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