Australian young gun Nick Kyrgios retired hurt from the Kooyong Classic, just days out from the start of the Australian Open.
But he said he would be fit to play the grand slam.
The big-hitting 20-year-old won the first set in a tie-breaker against Belgian David Goffin, before retiring during the second while trailing 3-2.
Conditions could have hardly been worse at the historic tennis club – as the temperature crept towards 39 degrees celsius, the wind picked up.
Ballkids struggled to hold onto their umbrellas, which were meant to shade the players while they took their drinks breaks.
Both players wore ice vests and before starting the match Kyrgios joked with the crowd that they could play instead if they liked.
The exact nature of Kyrgios' injury is unclear.
During a medical time out early in the match, staff appeared to be examining one of his feet,
Tournament head Brian Cooney said Kyrgios had received medical advice not to play on after injuring his ankle, possibly his achilles tendon, in the first set.
"It's disappointing that he's not going to be able to play on Friday, but that's tennis, that's sport," Cooney said.
Kyrgios also took to Twitter to apologise for leaving the event.
Hate withdrawing, so sorry to everyone @KooyongClassic I just have to make sure I'm right for next week & I will be. #DontWorry #SeeYouIn17— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios)
January 13, 2016
Also @David__Goffin sorry bro, good luck in the next one. Thanks to Brian & the team @KooyongClassic such a great event. #NextYear— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios)
January 13, 2016
Goffin, ranked 16 in the world, was looking on the bright side of the weather after the match.
"It's the perfect practice for next week, it could be windy next week, so it's perfect," he said.
Kyrgios exchanged angry words with the chair umpire in the first set - when one of his shots was called out he appealed to the crowd for support.
"Did anyone in the crowd see that shot?" He asked, as fans cheered.
"That's so bad, every single person saw it."
Ranked number 30 in the world, Kyrgios is one of Australia's best hopes to go deep into this years' open.
Bernard Tomic is number 17 and Samantha Stosur is the top-ranked Australian woman, at number 27.
