Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something pretty unusual in tennis. He won the Japan Open title in Tokyo and then announced he’s withdrawing from the Shanghai Masters – all within minutes of each other.
The timing was really surprising. You’d expect a player to be riding high after winning a tournament and ready to take on the next challenge.
But Alcaraz has been dealing with some physical issues that started right at the beginning of the Japan Open. He hurt his left foot during his first match against Sebastian Baez, and it looked so bad that everyone thought he’d have to quit the tournament immediately.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Instead, the 22-year-old kept playing through the pain.
He ended up winning five straight matches to claim the title, including a solid 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz in the final. That brought his season total to eight trophies – pretty amazing numbers for any player.
The Withdrawal That Nobody Saw Coming
Everyone figured Alcaraz would celebrate his win and head straight to Shanghai for the ATP Masters 1000 event. That’s what usually happens on the tennis tour.
But the six-time Grand Slam champion had other plans.
He posted on Instagram explaining his decision:
"I’m very disappointed to announce that I won’t be able to play the Shanghai Masters this year! Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with some physical issues, and after discussing with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover."
"I was really looking forward to playing in front of the amazing fans in Shanghai again. I hope to be back soon and see my Chinese fans next year!"
The announcement came literally minutes after he was holding up the Tokyo trophy. Talk about mixed emotions.
Alcaraz seemed to be in great spirits during the Tokyo celebration, talking about how this has been his best season ever.
"It’s been my best season so far without a doubt. Eight titles, 10 finals… That shows how hard I’ve worked just to be able to experience these moments and accomplish my goals. I didn’t start the year that good, struggling emotionally, so how I came back from that, I’m just really proud of myself, and of all the people around me who have helped me to be in this position."
Those are incredible numbers – eight titles and 10 finals means he’s been in the final of nearly every tournament he’s played this year.
What’s Next for Alcaraz
So what does this mean for the rest of his season? He’s basically taking a strategic break.
Alcaraz won’t just be skipping Shanghai. He’s also not on the entry lists for the tournaments in Vienna and Basel the following week. That’s pretty unusual for a top player.
In fact, only three players in the Top 10 are missing that week: Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Jack Draper, who ended his season early due to injury.
The next time we’ll see Alcaraz on a tennis court will likely be the Paris Masters, which starts on October 27th. There’s also the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, but that’s just a fun exhibition event with a massive prize pool.
It’s smart planning, really. Better to rest up that foot injury now than risk making it worse and missing even more tournaments. With the season winding down and those eight titles already in the bag, Alcaraz can afford to be cautious.
The Shanghai fans will have to wait until next year to see him play, but given how well he’s been playing when healthy, it’ll probably be worth the wait.
