In these extreme circumstances, it was hardly unreasonable for Medvedev to approach the umpire – not the ball girl – and say: “Sorry, can I ask the ball girl to remove my shirt? I’m cramping here.” Even if it might have sounded creepy. Happily, a more sensible solution arrived when Gerry Armstrong, an experienced ATP supervisor, popped up to assist in the disrobing.
Meanwhile, world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz must be counting his blessings from his home in Spain. He opted to skip Shanghai, despite its “mandatory” status, on the grounds that he was too beaten up after his win in Tokyo 11 days ago.
With a massive 11,540 rankings points to his name (Sinner has 10,950 and No 3 Alexander Zverev just 5,980), Alcaraz can afford to sit out this tail end of the year. Others, such as Medvedev’s next opponent Alex de Minaur, are obliged to keep toiling away despite having already racked up 68 matches in 2025. De Minaur’s place among the eight men at November’s ATP Finals is still at stake.
It is an inhumane itinerary, exacerbated by the growing incidence of brutal weather conditions. No wonder several leading WTA players have already called time on their seasons, including world No 19 Daria Kasatkina. In a statement released this week, Kasatkina said: “The schedule is too much, mentally and emotionally I am at breaking point and sadly, I am not alone.”
