Jannik Sinner helped out of stadium after retiring from Shanghai Masters clash

Jannick Sinner has withdrawn from his third-round match against Tallen Griekspoor at the Shanghai Masters midway through the third and final set. The defending champion needed assistance from the physio to walk out of the stadium after cramping up on court.

Griekspoor and Sinner had been playing for two hours and 36 minutes before the latter's premature retirement ended their match. The first set went to a tiebreaker, which Sinner won 7-6(3), but Griekspoor responded by taking the second 7-5 and led the decider 3-2 before winning by walkover.

Valentin Vacherot, whose opponent, Tomas Machac, also retired midway through their match, awaits in the round of 16. Whoever wins would then face either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Holger Rune in the quarter-finals. The latter called out the ATP during his on-court interview after beating Ugo Humbert in straight sets.

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Rune asked: "Why doesn't the ATP have a heat rule?"

Novak Djokovic also dubbed the conditions 'brutal. After reaching the round of 16 by beating qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, he said, "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 heat, with sun, it's even more brutal. For me, biologically, it's a bit more challenging to deal with it.

"I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning."

Sinner also acknowledged the heat and humidity before his first-round match. "Yeah, I feel good," he said after being asked how he was feeling during a press conference.

"I said it before the (China Open) final that I'm ready for the final, and so it was. Here, it's different.

"It's more humid, it's hotter. I don't know how it's going to feel on court.

"But, you know, today I have one day where I can rest, and tomorrow I am going to have more feedback for my body and mind, and trying to prepare for the first round match. Then we'll see how it goes."

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