By Abbie Meehan
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Jannik Sinner was forced to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters after being struck down by a brutal cramp. This has led to calls from various Italian media publications and beyond to postpone matches at the tournament due to brutal weather conditions. The injury to Sinner was so debilitating that the tennis ace couldn’t stand without assistance and hobbled to his chair before wincing in agony as his thigh muscle received treatment. The 24-year-old was battling through the third set and trailing 3-2 to Tallon Griekspoor when he stopped playing and headed towards his seat. Sinner started to hobble and placed his racquet on the court to steady himself as he made his way to the sideline thanks to help from a physio. His withdrawal from the encounter , combined with the punishing weather conditions in China, sparked fury amongst several Italian media outlets. The tennis star’s homeland was bewildered that he was required to compete in such oppressive humidity and many demanded that play be halted if conditions remained so challenging. Eurosport commentator Dario Puppo told the OA Sports YouTube channel: “If this is the tennis we want, I don’t agree. “I think we should do as we do at the Grand Slams, perhaps proposing to stop or suspend play when it’s clear something isn’t right.” Retired Italian Grand Slam champion Adriano Panatta also criticised the weather conditions in which Sinner was playing, arguing that the humidity and pollution levels were unsafe for the match to proceed. Speaking on Domenica Sportiva, broadcast on Rai Due, Panatta said: “There is a 95% humidity level and an 84% pollution level, which is classified as unhealthy and is inadvisable for sports activity.” The Italian media clearly weren’t impressed with the playing conditions and fans were also left disappointed by the tennis star’s premature departure. One X user said: “As fans, these images are incredibly hard to watch – he gave everything until his body couldn’t take it anymore. End of the Asian swing. “No one cares about the points or the title not defended – just wishing you a full recovery, champion. We love you, Jan. Come back soon.” Another added: “Jannik Sinner was forced to retire in the third set against Tallon Griekspoor in the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The World No2 was down 7-6(3) 5-7 2-3 against the Dutchman before he limped off the court due to a leg injury. Get well soon Jannik.” Tennis legend Novak Djokovic was on hand to slam the humid conditions in China too, describing them as “brutal”. The 24-time Grand Slam winner 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.”