“I really feel sorry for them”: Zizou Bergs highlights hidden struggle of ball boys and girls at Shanghai Masters

Belgium’s Zizou Bergs has expressed concerns about the well-being of the ball boys and girls at the Shanghai Masters. The ATP 1000 event is nearing its conclusion, with the remaining players battling to secure the ultimate prize.

One of the main topics of discussion about the Shanghai Masters has not been the tennis played on the court. Instead, it has been the challenging weather conditions. Men’s world number two and top-seed Italy’s Jannik Sinner was forced to retire during the third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor after having so many cramps that he could barely walk.

Earlier, former world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia was seen vomiting on the court due to the heat and humidity, which made it extremely challenging for both the players and the organisers. Belgium’s Bergs has come out and expressed his concern about the ball boys and girls.

Bergs cemented his spot in the quarterfinal of the event after beating Canada’s Gabriel Diallo with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-6. After that result, Berg spoke to the media, as quoted by the English media outlet Daily Express, stating that he feels sorry for the ball boys and girls who stand in the heat to help the professional players perform well on the court. Bergs also stated that he is happy to see that so far, nothing has happened to the ball boys or girls.

“I mean, it's definitely better,” said Bergs. “Two days ago it was just absolutely brutal. But the other days are not easy either. “I feel like you get used to it a little bit. It's still tough today outside, you still sweat a lot. I'm right here standing in a swimming pool. But, no, I was also explaining, I think as tennis players, it's obviously not easy, but look at the ball boys and ball girls. They're doing an amazing job. I really feel sorry for them. We get an opportunity to drink during changeovers and they don't. I feel really bad for them, but I'm also really happy that nothing is happening to them.” 

Bergs was not the first player to go public about the challenging conditions in Shanghai. After beating America’s Taylor Fritz in the round of 32, French tennis player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard highlighted that he felt during the contest that at one stage, he was going to die on the court. “Tough conditions,” said Mpetshi Perricard while speaking to the media after the match. “Very humid, a lot of humidity. So the game at 5-5, it was terrible. I thought I was dying on the court.”

Dutch tennis player Griekspoor, who cemented his spot in the fourth round because defending champion and top-seed Sinner retired while facing him in the round of 32, shared similar views after his match against the four-time Grand Slam winner. “Not the way you want to win,” said Griekspoor. “Brutal conditions here. I wasn't really fresh either myself.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Bergs will be hoping to continue his impressive run in Shanghai. Overall, Bergs is having a very good season, having won 24 out of the 46 matches. That performance has started to show an impact on his position in the ATP rankings, and he has registered his career-best spot.

He is currently placed in 38th position in the live ATP rankings with 1,499 points. If he manages to go all the way and lift the Shanghai Masters title, Bergs will take his rating points tally to 2,099. Berg’s next opponent will be Djokovic, who cemented his spot in the last eight after beating Spain’s Jaume Munar in the round of 16 with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two players in professional tennis.