Carlos Alcaraz is planning his return to the court after withdrawing from the 2025 Shanghai Masters due to “physical issues”.
The Spanish star secured the eighth title of his outstanding 2025 season and his 24th career title at the Japan Open at the end of last month.
Alcaraz hurt his left ankle early in his opening round match against Sebastian Baez at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, but he battled through the issue to triumph on his debut at the event.
Following his second round win in Japan, the six-time Grand Slam winner credited his long-time physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno for the role he played in his recovery.
“It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could [after the first match],” Alcaraz said after beating Zizou Bergs.
“I have said it before and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100%. The work he has done for the ankle has been great.
“I could play normally, which is great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match.”
Shortly after his win in Tokyo, Alcaraz revealed in a video that he would miss the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai: “I’m very disappointed to announce that I won’t be able to play the Rolex 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.”
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Alcaraz is expected to be healthy to feature at his next scheduled event: the Six Kings Slam.
The second edition of the exhibition event staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will be held from October 15-18. The six participants at the Six Kings Slam each earn a 1.5million USD participation fee, with the winner taking home an additional 4.5million.
Alcaraz will resume working with his primary coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, ahead of the Six Kings Slam, having trained with his other coach, Samuel Lopez, since his US Open victory.
After the Six Kings Slam, Alcaraz is due to compete at the Paris Masters (October 27-November 2), the ATP Finals (November 9-16) and the Davis Cup Finals (November 18-23).
