Scouting Report: Alcaraz, Sinner lead Shanghai field as Djokovic returns

An executive summary of what every fan should know about the ATP Masters 1000

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are all in the field at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters. By ATP Staff

The 2025 Asian swing reaches its climax in China, where the ATP Tour’s finest are preparing to compete at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Carlos Alcaraz headlines the field, where he is chasing his first Shanghai title. Defending champion Jannik Sinner is seeded second at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center, while record four-time titlist Novak Djokovic will make his first appearance since the US Open.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch from the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event.

1) Alcaraz On The Charge: The Spaniard returned to World No. 1 after his US Open triumph earlier this month and he has maintained that red-hot form into the Asian swing so far. On Tuesday, Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz in Tokyo to lift his Tour-leading eighth title of the season, and the 22-year-old will head to Shanghai with hopes of building on his quarter-final run from a year ago.

2) Sinner Defends Crown: Like Alcaraz, Sinner has also impressed at an ATP 500 this week: He takes on Daniil Medvedev or Learner Tien in the Beijing final on Wednesday. A year ago, the Italian marched past Djokovic in the championship match to claim his maiden Shanghai crown, although a repeat final is not possible this time around because they are in the same half of the draw.

Watch Highlights Of Sinner's 2024 Shanghai Final Triumph:

3) Djokovic Back In Action: Djokovic will take on Marin Cilic or Corentin Moutet first up in Shanghai, where he is competing for the first time since his semi-final US Open defeat to Alcaraz on 5 September. The Serbian holds the record for most titles (four) and most match wins (39) in Shanghai tournament history, and the Serbian will hope his experience at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center can help him lift a record 41st Masters 1000 title, and his first since November 2023.

4) Zverev, Fritz Chase M1000 Success: Alexander Zverev and Fritz are each chasing their first Masters 1000 success of the season in Shanghai. Germany’s Zverev is a seven-time champion at this level, while Fritz’s only triumph came in Indian Wells in 2022. Third and fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, respectively, Zverev and Fritz could take a big step towards Nitto ATP Finals qualification with a deep run in Shanghai.

5) Shelton Returns: Ben Shelton endured a tough end to his US Open campaign when he was forced to retire from his third-round match against Adrian Mannarino due to a shoulder injury. After a month of recovery, the World No. 6 is ready to go again in Shanghai, where he has a 5-2 record. The American lefty is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, just 85 points behind Fritz, as he chases a Nitto ATP Finals debut.

6) Chasing Pack Eyes Turin: With plenty of points on offer, Shanghai could be a crucial juncture for several contenders aiming to ramp up their charge towards the Nitto ATP Finals. Alex de Minaur (seventh) and Lorenzo Musetti (eighth), who are both reached the Beijing semi-finals, currently occupy the final two qualification spots. Former Turin participants Felix Auger-Aliassime (10th), Casper Ruud (11th) and Andrey Rublev (12th) are best placed to haul them in.

7) Chinese Stars: Four of the five home favourites competing in the singles are in the top half of the draw. Among them, Wu Yibing will play a qualifier, with the winner to face Medvedev in the second round, while Shang Juncheng meets Aleksandar Kovacevic for the right to take on Karen Khachanov.

In the bottom half, Zhang Zhizhen opens against Sebastian Baez. Zhang is the only Chinese player to have reached the last 16 in Shanghai tournament history (he did so in 2023).

8) Mensik, Tien Compete: Jakub Mensik and Tien lead the #NextGenATP charge in Shanghai. Mensik, who currently leads the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, defeated Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the quarter-finals on event debut a year ago. Third-placed Tien, a finalist at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, will meet Alcaraz if he overcomes Miomir Kecmanovic in his opener.

9) Wild Card Wawrinka: Former World No. 3 and three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka makes his second appearance at Masters 1000 level in 2025, and his first on hard courts, as a wild card. The 40-year-old Swiss plays Fabian Marozsan first, with the winner advancing to a showdown with fifth seed Fritz.

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