Alcaraz Shelton Draper Tennis Stars

The 2025 Japan Open in Tokyo just got a massive boost that’ll have tennis fans pretty excited. After being overshadowed by last year’s China Open, this tournament has put together an incredible lineup.

Carlos Alcaraz is heading to Tokyo as the top seed. That’s huge news.

The five-time Grand Slam champion switched up his schedule this year. Most people expected him to play in Beijing again, especially since the China Open pays more prize money than Japan. But Alcaraz had other plans.

His rival Jannik Sinner is sticking with Beijing for 2025. That means we won’t get another epic showdown between the two best players in the world like we saw last year.

Remember that China Open final? Alcaraz beat Sinner in a deciding set tiebreak that was absolutely incredible. It was one of the best ATP 500 finals we’ve ever seen, which probably made the Japan Open organizers pretty jealous.

This year’s different though.

Alcaraz’s schedule is pretty packed. He’s playing the Laver Cup from September 19th to 21st, then heading straight to Tokyo for the Japan Open from September 24th to 30th. After that, it’s the Shanghai Masters.

If he does well in Shanghai, Alcaraz will be playing tennis every single week from the Laver Cup until mid-October. That’s exhausting just thinking about it.

The Spanish star has complained about how long and tough the tennis calendar is. You’d think he might skip the Laver Cup if he’s that tired, but here we are.

Star Power in Tokyo

Ben Shelton is back to defend his 2023 title. The American absolutely loves playing in Tokyo because the courts are some of the fastest on the ATP Tour. That’s perfect for his massive serve and aggressive style.

Shelton’s having a breakthrough year. At the Grand Slams, he’s only lost to Alcaraz or Sinner – that tells you everything about how good he’s getting. Plus, he won the Canadian Open earlier this year.

Jack Draper is listed in the draw, but there’s a big question mark over his fitness. The 2025 Indian Wells champion had to pull out of the US Open with an arm injury. Nobody knows exactly when he’ll be back to 100%.

Holger Rune will be looking to bounce back after a really disappointing US Open. He lost in the second round to Jan-Lennard Struff, and that came right after he accused his first-round opponent of gamesmanship. Not exactly the kind of headlines you want.

Casper Ruud had an even worse time in New York. The Norwegian lost in the second round to Raphael Collignon, which was pretty shocking. His dream of winning a Grand Slam is done for another year.

The rest of the field is stacked too. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe are both entered, along with Denis Shapovalov and Sebastian Korda.

Kei Nishikori got a wildcard, which should make the home crowd pretty happy. He’s not the player he used to be, but he can still put on a show when he’s feeling good.

Last year’s runner-up Ugo Humbert is back too. Remember him? He made it to the final before losing to Arthur Fils in a pretty entertaining match that went three sets.

That final was actually really good – Fils won 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 in a match that had everything. It just didn’t get the attention it deserved because everyone was still talking about that crazy Alcaraz-Sinner final in Beijing.

This year could be different though. With Alcaraz leading the charge, the Japan Open might finally get the spotlight it deserves.

2025 Japan Open Entry List

The tournament also has spots for three more wildcards, one special exempt entry, and four qualifiers who’ll earn their way into the main draw.

With this kind of lineup, Tokyo might finally steal some thunder from Beijing this year.