Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Shanghai Masters just hours after winning his eighth title of the season at the Japan Open.
The World No 1 defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 in Tokyo to continue his dominant form but revealed he has been “struggling with some physical issues”.
The 22-year-old overcame an injury scare in his opening match against Sebastian Baez in Tokyo - where he hurt his left ankle and ignored pleas from his team to retire.
Alcaraz gave special credit to his physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno after winning the title, calling him “the best physio in the world” for the work he did on his ankle and saving his tournament.
But Alcaraz will be taking no chances with his fitness and announced that he will be prioritising rest and recovery.
“I'm very disappointed to announce that I won't be able to play the Shanghai Masters this year,” Alcaraz posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
“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!”
Alcaraz’s decision to pull out of the Shanghai Masters gives Jannik Sinner an opportunity to close the gap to World No 1 if he can defend his Shanghai title and offers the Italian some hope of regaining the top spot this season.
Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic in last year’s Shanghai final and plays in the China Open final on Wednesday against Learner Tien.
With the draw for the Shanghai Masters already released, Corentin Moutet becomes the 33rd seed and takes Alcaraz's place at the top of the draw.
Sinner remains at the bottom of the draw and could face Fritz in the quarter-finals and Djokovic, who decided to play in Shanghai after reaching all four grand slam semi-finals this season, in the last four.
Alexander Zverev becomes the highest-ranked player in the top half of the draw.
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