Carlos Alcaraz's decision not to participate in the Shanghai Masters 1000 surprised everyone, as the Spanish ace has just triumphed at the Tokyo ATP 500 at the end of an amazing run. The world number 1 won his eighth title this season, the best of his career, having finally found that continuity that he had often lacked in the past.
The 22-year-old from Murcia had been scared at the beginning of the Japanese tournament due to an ankle injury, but his physical condition had improved as the rounds went by and he lost only one set during his run (against Casper Ruud in the semifinals).
Shortly after lifting the trophy in Tokyo, the six-time Grand Slam champion highlighted the need to recharge his batteries ahead of the latter part of the season. For this reason, he will not be present at the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season and will lose 200 points, since last year he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
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Alcaraz has just won in Tokyo
Carlitos is not expected to play either the Vienna ATP 500 or the Basel ATP 500, which is why his next official tournament is expected to be the Paris Masters 1000 before the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. In fact, Alcaraz will be one of the protagonists of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia this month. He had also participated in this event last season, reaching the final and losing to his huge rival Jannik Sinner.
In the last few hours, several fans have criticized Carlos' choice to skip a Masters 1000 like Shanghai by participating instead in an exhibition like the one in Saudi Arabia. Before flying to Tokyo, the world number 1 had also taken part in the Laver Cup, staged in San Francisco in front of an oceanic crowd.
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Due to his forfeit in Shanghai, the Spanish star risks being overtaken by Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings. If the Italian champion who has just won the title in Beijing were to triumph in Shanghai and Vienna as well, he would return to number 1 in the world.
