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Absentees from China: Six big stars that will not feature in the Shanghai Masters

Originally posted on TennisUpToDate.com | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 11:38 AM ET

The penultimate Masters 1000 competition is emerging on the horizon, with the Shanghai Masters set to commence on the 1st October. It will feature the best players in the world, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who look to continue their on-going rivalry.

The Italian goes into the competition as the holder, after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final 7-6(4), 6-3. However, he goes into this event no longer the world number one, with Alcaraz nicking it off him in his US Open triumph. These two will be the men to beat, but there are plenty of other world class players taking to the court in Shanghai. This includes, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, and Djokovic, among many other top talents vying for glory.

However, there are six big casualties from this upcoming tournament, with injuries playing their part to some of the top talents in the sport.

Jack Draper

Possibly the most notable absentee, Jack Draper has had his season cut short due to an arm injury picked up after a disappointing Wimbledon campaign, where he was knocked out by former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the second round.

He made the sensible decision to skip the Canadian and Cincinnati Open, letting his arm rest and heal before travelling to New York in an attempt to defend or even progress on his semi-final he achieved last year. Unfortunately, the injury had worsened over time, with it being revealed that he had bone bruising on his left humerus. The number one Brit withdrew from the event after his first round victory and would sit out the rest of the 2025 season to allow it to heal, meaning that we will not see him for any of the Asian swing.

Tommy Paul

Tommy Paul's season has been frustratingly centred round an on-going foot tendon issue and abdominal strain, preventing him from kicking on. He was as high as world number eight after back-to-back Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, but has since dropped down to 15th, threatening to fall further if he cannot get on top of these injuries.

The American last featured in the US Open, where he lost a five-set thriller against Alexander Bublik. Without yet participating in any tournament in the Asian swing, his hopes of appearing in the ATP Finals for the maiden time has been all-but dashed.

Grigor Dimitrov

In an alternate universe, Grigor Dimitrov has beaten the world number one Jannik Sinner in straight sets to book his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Unfortunately, that dream was cut heartbreakingly short with the Bulgarian suffering a nasty pectoral muscle injury when serving. He has not stepped out on the court since.

It is now five Grand Slams on the spin that Dimitrov has been forced to retire from, with his injury record not for the faint-hearted. He attempted to make a comeback for the Shanghai Masters, but it seems that it has come a bit too soon for the former world number three.

Arthur Fils

Arthur Fils was one to watch at the start of the season. He reached three consecutive Masters 1000 quarter-finals and climbed to a highest ranking of 14th in the world in April. However, due to a stress fracture in his lower back, he was forced to retire from his home Grand Slam event in the third round. He went on to miss Wimbledon due to the same problem.

An attempted comeback was made at the beginning of the North American hardcourt swing. But after an early exit in Toronto against Jiri Lehecka, he has not stepped onto the court again. The back injury has caused him to miss the US Open and by the looks of it much of the Asian swing, including the upcoming Shanghai Masters. This is a huge blow for the 21-year-old, who is desperate to regain the consistency he portrayed at the start of the season.

Gael Monfils

The second Frenchman on this list to pull out, Gael Monfils had his Chengdu Open cut short in his opening match against Alexander Shevchenko in the third se. He had suffered an ankle injury, which is keeping the 39-year-old out of the upcoming 1000 event.

It looks that his body is finally catching up on him, with numerous withdraws and retirements throughout the season, not playing in as many tournaments as he used to.

Joao Fonseca

The only person on this list not withdrawing due to an injury setback, Joao Fonseca has chosen a more tactical approach in skipping the Shanghai Masters, as he looks ahead to the European indoor hardcourt swing.

The 19-year-old recently impressed in that scenery at the Laver Cup, where he helped Team World win their third title in the event. In the process, the Brazilian became the youngest player to feature at the event, defeating Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in a fantastic showing. While he will not compete in Shanghai, Fonseca is very likely to feature in the Paris Masters, the final Masters 1000 event of the year, as he looks to end his breakout year with a bang.

This article first appeared on TennisUpToDate.com and was syndicated with permission.

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