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After a four-year hiatus, the Shanghai Masters, an ATP 1000 tournament, is back for its twelfth edition.
The Shanghai Masters, one of the most anticipated stops on the ATP tour, will take place in Shanghai, China, from October 4-15, 2023. The tournament resumes this year for the first time since being cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will not be participating, the rest of the top 20 players in the world are present at this year's ATP 1000 tournament. The 2023 Shanghai Masters will feature Carlos Alcaraz as the top seed, followed by Daniil Medvedev, the defending champion.
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There are many other elite players too, like Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is in the top half of the draw, appears to have been given a relatively easy path. The Spaniard has a bye into the second round and will play either Nuno Borges or Gregoire Barrere there. Alcaraz might face Dan Evans, who also received a first-round bye, in the third round.
Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and defending champion Daniil Medvedev make up a formidable field in the bottom half. This apparent contrast has evoked various reactions from fans, who flocked to twitter to express their opinions.
One fan wrote:
"It's like they want the No 1 ranking to be handed over to Alcaraz at this point."
Another user tweeted:
"Rarely some good draws for Carlos since the Asia seasons, And Sinner Zverev Med quarter. Also Andy is so ready to go home with only 10 points in Asia season. Anyway, Casper plz scam some points here."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis enthusiasts:
Carlos Alcaraz: “No.1 spot is one of the main goals for me”
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz recently said he would focus on replacing Novak Djokovic at the No. 1 spot when he takes the court in Beijing. Djokovic overtook Alcaraz at the US Open to become the top-ranked player in the world.
The young Spaniard talked about his "beautiful" rivalry with Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 spot in the world and how regaining that spot is always on his mind.
“As I said a few times, we have a really beautiful battle for the No. 1 spot after the great performance Novak Djokovic had in the American season, He's the No. 1 right now. I'm coming here with extra motivation to try to recover it in the Race, of course, in the ranking," Carlos Alcaraz said.
"As I said, it's something that I have in my mind every time that I practice, in every tournament," he added.
For Alcaraz, retaining the top spot is not necessary, but he does want to finish the 2023 season as the best player in the world.
“It's not obligatory for me to recover that, but of course you have to put the goals in the year," Carlos Alcaraz said. "So for me No. 1 spot is one of the main goals for me. In these great tournaments, I'm looking to do great to be able to be close or recover that number.”
