Sinner Pulls Out of the Shanghai Masters: Djokovic, Alcaraz and Zverev Lead the Field as Vacherot Defends His Title
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters with a knee injury. Here is what to know before the final on 18 October.
The Rolex Shanghai Masters will be played without the world No. 1. Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the ATP Masters 1000 event in China because of a knee injury that is still bothering him, so his time away from the tour goes on.
Sinner's absence gets longer
Al Jazeera reports that the 25-year-old Italian has not played since winning Wimbledon in July. Since then he has missed the US Open and the ATP 500 event in Beijing.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped," Sinner said in a statement.
His withdrawal takes the top name out of the draw, and opens the way for the players coming straight from this week's events in Beijing and Tokyo.
Shanghai Masters 2026: the essentials
- Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai (outdoor hard courts)
- Qualifying: 5-6 October
- Final: Sunday 18 October
- Draw: 96 players, with the 32 seeds getting first-round byes
- Prize money: US$9,415,725 in total, according to Tennisnerd; the champion gets US$1,151,380 and 1,000 ranking points
Sources differ on when main-draw play starts, giving dates between 7 and 9 October, so check the official schedule closer to the day. Shanghai is the same time zone as Malaysia, so there is no time difference to work out.
The defending champion: Valentin Vacherot
Monaco's Valentin Vacherot won the title last year as a qualifier, becoming the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history. He arrives in good form again: on Sunday he beat Arthur Fils to reach the Tokyo semi-finals, where he plays Jiri Lehecka today.
The contenders
Novak Djokovic is a four-time Shanghai champion. He comes in after beating top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Beijing on Sunday to go 32-0 at the China Open, and he plays Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals today.
Carlos Alcaraz is in the Tokyo semi-finals, where he plays Jaume Munar after Denis Shapovalov retired injured in the quarter-finals. The Spaniard admitted after that match that his level is "far from where I want to be".
Alexander Zverev came into Beijing as the top seed. When reporting Sinner's withdrawal, Al Jazeera noted that the German could reach world No. 1 by winning both Beijing and Shanghai. His quarter-final loss to Djokovic ends that scenario, but he is still one of the main contenders in Shanghai.
Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz are also in the field, and Medvedev is in form after reaching the Beijing semi-finals.
Why Shanghai matters
Shanghai is the last Masters 1000 event of the Asian swing and offers a lot of ranking points as the season heads towards its finish. With Sinner out, the title is open to a wider group of players.
Key takeaways
- World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters with a lingering knee injury.
- Valentin Vacherot, last year's record-breaking qualifier champion, defends his title and is in the Tokyo semi-finals today.
- Four-time champion Djokovic, Alcaraz, Zverev and Medvedev lead the field.
- The final is on Sunday 18 October; the winner gets 1,000 ranking points.
FAQ
Why is Jannik Sinner not playing in Shanghai? He has a knee injury and has not played since winning Wimbledon in July. He also missed the US Open and Beijing.
Who won the Shanghai Masters last year? Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, who won as a qualifier and became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history.
When is the Shanghai Masters final? Sunday 18 October 2026.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Tennisnerd, ATP Tour