Shanghai Masters 2024: Key Players to Watch and Predictions
The Shanghai Masters is in full swing. This tournament is very important for tennis players, and all the attention of fans is focused on it. Let’s find out more about its participants and their chances of winning.
Overview of the Shanghai Masters 2024
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Four third-round matches of the ATP-1000 tournament in Shanghai (China), scheduled for October 7, were canceled due to rainy weather. This is the third day in a row when games have been canceled due to adverse weather conditions. The tennis players are still finishing the second stage of the tournament.
Some matches are taking place on indoor practice courts. The matches between Italian Matteo Berrettini and Dane Holger Rune, as well as Swiss Stan Wawrinka and Italian Flavio Cobolli, will take place on the central court today.
Key Players to Watch at the Shanghai Masters 2024
Of course, it is the players who make the tournament interesting. Let’s find out who has a chance to win.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic has not particularly shone in the ATP tournaments or even the Grand Slam tournaments this season, except for reaching the Wimbledon final. But he achieved his main goal for 2024, winning the Olympic Games in Paris in the decisive match against Alcaraz.
After that, 37-year-old Novak returned to the court only for the US Open, but without competitive practice, he did not get far in New York, flying out in the third round from Alexei Popyrin. Then, he won one match as part of his team’s successful performance at the Davis Cup against Greece and did not take part in Asian tournaments. Moreover, Djokovic will play at the Masters in Shanghai for the first time in five years, that is, since 2019. Nevertheless, it is the Serb who is the most titled tennis player in the Chinese Masters. He has 34 wins, five losses, and four titles won.
This time, Novak received the fourth seed, getting into the lower half of the draw. He will start the tournament with a match against the winner of the meeting between Bu Yunchaokete and Alex Mickelsen, then he can play Flavio Cobolli, and in the fourth round, among his likely opponents, we will highlight Francis Tiafoe, Alexander Bublik, and Roman Safiullin. Last year’s finalist of the tournament, Rublev, got into Djokovic’s quarter, and in the fourth round, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexei Popyrin, in particular, may stand in his way.
Carlos Alcaraz
21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is in great shape. The greatness of this tennis player against the background of many other young talents lies precisely in his colossal mental strength, which allows Alcaraz-Garfia to take a hit even in the most difficult situations. Carlos could not recover for a long time after losing in the Olympic final. In his shoes, many tennis players would have simply failed at the end of the season. But not this genius.
Carlos continues his winning streak at the ATP tournament in Shanghai, where he beat two local talents. In total, Alcaraz-Garfia already has a whole series of 11 victories after the US Open. Right now, viewers are seeing the best version of the Spaniard, who pulls out difficult games or crushes opponents who are not ready to jump above their heads in matches with him. In the last ten meetings, Carlos gave up only one set in the Beijing final to Jannik Sinner.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil recently played well in a tennis tournament in Beijing, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal match. That game was somewhat reminiscent of a thriller, judging by how it unfolded, but the key episode was a small injury to Daniil, due to which he sought medical help several times during the match.
But already in Shanghai, the Russian showed that the injury was not serious, and a few days later, Medvedev returned to the court. His first opponent in Shanghai was Brazilian Thiago Wilde, ranked 88th in the world.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
In 2024, the Greeks won only 13 out of 23 hard-court matches. He showed all his best results on clay courts — the title at the 1000-court tournament in Monte Carlo, the final of the 500-court tournament in Barcelona, and the quarterfinals — in Rome, Roland Garros, and the Olympics. There was also a Top 4 finish in Gstaad.
Stefanos reached the 4th round of the Australian Open on hard courts. This is the maximum that the former third number in the rankings could achieve on hard outdoor courts this season.
He lost to Shapovalov and Nishikori in the first matches at the Masters in Miami and Montreal, lost at the start to Kokkinakis at the US Open, and could not cope with the American Mickelsen in Tokyo, although he took the first set from his young opponent. In Shanghai, the world’s 12th racket took revenge on Nishikori for his recent defeat with some difficulty — 7:6 6:4. Tsitsipas had to play back a set point in a tie-break.
In the second match with the Frenchman Muller, the Athens native saved a double break point in the first set and then took two games on his opponent’s serve. In the second game segment, Stefanos managed not to serve for the match but still got a break in the 12th game — 7:5.
In Shanghai, his best result was reaching the semifinals in 2019; last season, the experienced athlete was defeated by Humbert in three sets in the 3rd round.
Alexander Zverev
Last week, the German player was diagnosed with pneumonia, but he still decided to play in Shanghai, where he does not have to protect his points (last year, he lost to Roman Safiullin at the start). Zverev himself said at the conference that he had a small problem with his lungs. It is an inflammation that will completely go away in two or three months. However, the athlete withdrew from Beijing — he had a high temperature during and after the Laver Cup. As a result, he was hospitalized because he felt bad and simply did not have the strength to play. He took antibiotics for a week.
Now, his condition is better, but the problem with his lungs has not disappeared. Zverev admits that he still gets a little more tired, but there are two options: either take a break or play as best he can. The doctor allowed him to play in the tournament, and the athlete was ready to make every effort and show his best.
Jannik Sinner
The world number one’s physical form raises questions among experts. Jannik has only two defeats in August and September, but it seems that he has been playing noticeably weaker in recent tournaments than in the first half of the year.
It is interesting that Jannick has capitulated to only four tennis players this season — Tsitsipas, Medvedev, and Rublev, and Carlos Alcaraz has defeated him three times — twice on hard and once on clay in the Roland Garros semifinals. Most recently, the competitors played an incredible final match in Beijing, the fate of which was decided in a decisive tie-break.
If Sinner has a weak spot, it is his current physical condition. All of his losses in 2024 were in 3 or 5 sets for the world number one. This season, Jannik had problems with his hip, repeatedly experienced cramps on the court, and was also ill, which is why he missed the Olympic Games in France.
Players With the Potential to Upset the Favorites
Of course, in any tournament there are players who are capable of, if not winning, then at least causing inconvenience to the favorites. Let’s talk about them.
Hubert Hurkacz
The world’s number eight could have been a serious contender. However, he suddenly withdrew from the tournament. There is no reliable information about the reasons for this action. However, the other participants certainly breathed a sigh of relief.
If the Pole achieved his first success at the Masters in doubles in 2020, then in 2021, he finally shone in singles. Having believed in his own strength after big victories, Hubert made a loud statement again in the summer. Not only did he reach the semifinals of the Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon for the first time, but he also beat Daniil Medvedev and Roger Federer himself along the way! This success allowed him to enter the Top 20. This is a very serious opponent.
Taylor Fritz
In February 2023, Taylor Fritz even rose to a record-breaking spot in the world rankings for a couple of weeks but soon fell back to the bottom of the top ten (he finished the season in tenth place). It is noteworthy that the American performed well at home tournaments but was rarely noted abroad.
However, Taylor can consider reaching the semifinals of the Masters in Monte Carlo, which is taking place on clay, which is not his favorite, a good achievement. This season, the American is ranked 7th in the world rankings. Therefore, some experts believe that he is a serious opponent for the tournament favorites.
Local Hope: Wu Yibing
It is obvious that Shanghai fans are following the progress of their compatriot with great interest. He has already lost to Alcaraz, but the match was tense. Wu Yibing admitted that he did not take advantage of his opponent’s mistakes and missed his chance. Perhaps the ability to analyze his mistakes and work on them will help the Chinese perform well at the championship.
Predictions for the Shanghai Masters 2024
We have already told you about the tournament favorites in detail. They are all great tennis players, and all have serious chances to win. However, it is not that simple. Almost all of them have problems with their physical fitness or health. Therefore, the odds on bookmaker platforms change quickly.
Key Matchups to Anticipate
Fans are particularly keen to watch the favorites’ matches. Of particular interest will be the encounters between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, and Roman Safiullin, as well as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Playing Conditions and Their Impact on the Game
The weather conditions were a major obstacle at this tournament. Several matches had to be cancelled due to heavy rains. Others were moved to indoor courts. This sudden change in conditions was a major shake-up. In addition, the tournament in Shanghai is held on clay. So, fans of other surfaces are initially at a disadvantage.
Past Champions and Historical Performance
The championship has been held annually since 2009. During this time, many famous tennis players have become winners.
| Year | Champion |
| 2009 | Nikolay Davydenko |
| 2010 | Andy Murray |
| 2011 | Andy Murray |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2014 | Roger Federer |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2016 | Andy Murray |
| 2017 | Roger Federer |
| 2018 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2019 | Daniil Medvedev |
| 2023 | Hubert Hurkacz |
Conclusion
Despite the weather surprises and health problems of the favorites, the Shanghai Masters 2024 tournament promises to be truly exciting. Perhaps we will expect unexpected results. In any case, it will certainly be a fascinating spectacle.
