The news of Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters 1000 surprised most fans and insiders, who did not expect such a decision from the Spanish ace after lifting the trophy in Tokyo.
The world number one has played a lot of matches since the spring and has reached at least the final in every tournament he has participated in, which is why he needs to recharge his batteries at this point, considering that he also participated in the Laver Cup, returning to the United States.
Having expended a lot of energy in recent months and not wanting to repeat the same mistakes of the past, the 22-year-old from Murcia made a decision that was not to be expected, placing more importance on his health than on his ATP rankings.
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Alcaraz doesn'twant to make mistakes
The six-time Grand Slam championwho will lose 200 points in the ATP rankings after reaching the quarterfinals in Shanghai last yearcould be overtaken by Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings, provided that the Italian star triumphs both in Shanghai (where he is defending the title he won in 2024) and at the Vienna ATP 500. However, Carlitos' real goal is to be in top form for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and perhaps even the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna.
As if that weren't enough, Alcaraz's decision to skip the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season will also cause him significant financial damage. The ATP awards several million euros to those who earn the most points in Masters 1000 tournaments during the season, and the Spanish champion could have received 4.5 million, but his withdrawal from the events in Toronto and Shanghai this year will cost him over 1 million.
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Barring any further surprises, Carlos will return to action at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, where he also competed last year, losing to Sinner in the final (he will make his debut directly in the semifinals, just like 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic).
