Why Carlos Alcaraz's decision to withdraw from Shanghai Masters could prove costly for world No 1

World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz could lose out on millions after his recent withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz, who had regained the No 1 spot from Jannik Sinner after beating the Italian in the US Open final last month, had withdrawn from the prestigious event last week after sustaining an ankle injury in the opening round of the Japan Open.

Despite the injury, the Spaniard would go on to defeat American Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 in the final to collect his eighth ATP title this year. Alcaraz, however, decided not to risk aggravating the injury any further, announcing his withdrawal from the Shanghai event in a post on Instagram.

“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 wrote in a post on Instagram.

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Strike three for Alcaraz in 2025 Masters 1000 calendar

The Shanghai Masters marks the third mandatory Masters 1000 event that Alcaraz has not been part of this year, the six-time Grand Slam champion having also missed the Madrid Open and Canadian Open earlier.

The ATP has bonus pools in place for Masters 1000, ATP Finals as well as 500-level events. Alcaraz currently leads the bonus pool standings after winning the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open as well as Cincinnati Open – his victories in Rome and Cincinnati preceding triumphant campaigns in the French Open and US Open respectively.

And the top player on the list stands to earn £3.3 million only if they compete in enough tournaments. If not, a player could face a major penalty in the form of a 75 per cent cut to the bonus money.

The pay cut can somewhat be mitigated if a player participates in on-site promotional activities, although it’s not clear yet whether Alcaraz was involved in any such off-court activities in the three Masters 1000 tournaments that she missed.

Sinner, too, is set to miss out on a big payday even if he beats Alcaraz to the top spot in the bonus pool standings, having missed four Masters 1000 events this year – three of them while serving his three-month doping suspension.