ATP took such a step after studying a number of incidents that happened to tennis players in 2025. For example, in August at the tournament in Cincinnati (USA), French tennis player Arthur Rinderkneh almost fainted during his third-round match. Feeling sick, he lay down on the court and covered himself with a towel. At the time, the temperature was over +32°C and the humidity was 51%.
Another incident occurred in October, when one of the world tennis leaders Yannick Cinner was forced to leave the court early due to hip cramps caused by the negative effects of high temperature and humidity. For this reason, the Italian tennis player withdrew from the tournament in Shanghai (China) as the reigning winner.
Athletes have repeatedly complained about having to continue playing under grueling climatic conditions. The answer is new norms, backed by international standards and approved by the ATP. Not only temperature will be taken into account, but also humidity, wind speed and the intensity of solar radiation.
From 2026, in singles matches consisting of three sets, if the temperature reaches +30.1°C in the first two sets, any player will be entitled to request a 10-minute break to cool down. During this time, it will be allowed to drink water, consult with medical personnel, change clothes and even take a shower. If the temperature reaches +32.2°C, matches will be suspended until the heat level is balanced.
The norms will be harmonized with the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) standards. It is expected that the approval of the new rule will eliminate the subjectivity of the ATP and WTA supervisors’ decisions, who made the verdict on the continuation of the match in their sole discretion.
