Jannik Sinner reveals how he feels about Carlos Alcaraz's 'unfortunate' Shanghai Masters absence as he & Novak Djokovic headline event

Jannik Sinner recently shared his thoughts on the absence of rival and reigning World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at the ongoing 2025 Shanghai Masters. The Italian opined that it's "unfortunate" for the high-profile ATP Masters 1000 hardcourt event to not be graced by the Spaniard's presence considering his popularity among tennis fans for his electric court presence and playing style.

To prepare for the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz and Sinner participated at the Japan Open and China Open respectively. The Spaniard and the Italian both registered emphatic title triumphs across the two ATP 500 tournaments. However, the six-time Major champion's heroics in Tokyo came at a cost, as he sustained an ankle injury during his participation there.

Soon after lifting the Japan Open trophy, Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters citing physical issues. After top seed Jannik Sinner won his second-round opener in Shanghai against Daniel Altmaier, the Italian rued the Spaniard's absence, telling reporters at a post-match press conference:

"It's very unfortunate that Carlos is not here also, you know. I feel like Carlos is the man who people want to see in tournaments, so it's very unfortunate he's not here."

However, the World No. 2 expressed positivity about his participation in Shanghai along with that of record four-time champion Novak Djokovic.

"But, you know, it's still great to have Novak and me and many other players," Jannik Sinner added.

Novak Djokovic, like Jannik Sinner, began Shanghai Masters 2025 on winning note

Novak Djokovic in action at the 2024 Shanghai Masters (Source: Getty)

Novak Djokovic clashed against Marin Cilic in a battle of two ATP veterans in the second round of the 2025 Shanghai Masters. For much of the contest, Cilic held his own against the Serb. Ultimately though, it was the former No. 1 who came out on top with a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory. Reflecting on his performance against the Croatian, the record four-time champion in Shanghai said:

"I struggled to find my rhythm from the baseline. I (lacked) some matches — my last one was at the US Open — so I got a really tough opener against Marin, who when is feeling the ball, is so dangerous and can beat anybody. He didn’t give me time to breathe, so I think I dug myself out of trouble with good serving, which obviously makes me happy."

Interestingly, Novak Djokovic faced Jannik Sinner in last year's final, where the Italian triumphed. There could be another encounter between the pair this year. However, this time around, the Serb and the Italian, courtesy of being in the same half of the draw, can only face each other if both progress to the semifinals.