The penultimate Masters 1000 event of 2023 takes place in Shanghai. Unsurprisingly, the draw is incredibly strong for the tournament, with Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz the top seed. But there have also been a number of withdrawals from the event. We at LWOT already reported on four players who elected to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. There are five players to add to that list. This articles names those who have withdrawn, and also their five replacements in the draw.
Five Players Withdraw From the Shanghai Masters
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
Borna Coric is the first player to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. The world #23 has not played since a first-round loss at the US Open to Sebastian Baez over a month ago. There is currently no information about his decision not to play in Shanghai. The 2022 Cincinnati Masters champion has previously struggled with shoulder problems, but no evidence exists of that being related to his decision.
Alexander Bublik has also decided to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. The 26-year-old featured at his home tournament in Astana a few days ago, but was defeated in the opening round by Sebastian Ofner. He also played in Chengdu the previous week. Hence his decision to be absent from Shanghai is a surprising one. No further details have been given by Bublik.
Roberto Bautista Agut is the third player to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard has been absent from the ATP Tour since July. It was reported that the former world #9 suffered a freak injury while looking after the horses he owns. It appears his recovery from that injury has taken longer than expected.
Emil Ruusuvuori is another player to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. The Finnish #1 last appeared in the Davis Cup. He had previously withdrawn from the Chengdu Open nearly two weeks ago due to an illness. It is not currently known if that is also the reason why he is not playing in Shanghai.
Kei Nishikori is the last player to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. It is very sad to see the former US Open finalist struggling physically again. He returned in June after being injured for two years with a knee injury. Unfortunately, his troublesome knee began to cause problems again at the Atlanta Open in July. Nishikori has not played again since.
Who Replaces Those Five Players in the Draw?
Alexander Shevchenko benefits from Coric’s decision to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. The 22-year-old’s results and performances have been somewhat inconsistent this season. Nonetheless, he is still at a ranking of #85, which is just two places below his career-best. He has been drawn against Taiwanese qualifier Chun-hsin Tseng in the opening round.
Cristian Garin replaces Bublik at the Shanghai Masters. Last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinalist has had some notable results this season, such as a run to the fourth round in Indian Wells. But the Chilean has been mostly short of victories in the last couple of months. He will hope to change that against Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round.
Fabian Marozsan is in the Shanghai Masters draw due to the withdrawal of Bautista Agut. The Hungarian recently won his first Grand Slam main draw match. He achieved that with an epic five-set victory against French tennis stalwart Richard Gasquet. The 23-year-old plays another Frenchman in the form of Arthur Rinderknech in the Shanghai first round.
Ruusuvuori’s decision to withdraw has given an opportunity to Aslan Karatsev. The 30-year-old has been in good form lately. He was a semifinalist at his last tournament in Zhuhai. The 2021 Australian Open semifinalist will look to build on that momentum against Quentin Halys in the first round.
Finally, Jaume Munar replaces Nishikori at the Shanghai Masters. It has been a mixed season so far for the world #79. The 26-year-old has managed some good runs, such as a fourth round appearance at the Madrid Masters. Yet he has also experienced a number of early exits from tournaments. The Spaniard will hope to avoid that fate against Te Rigele in the opening round.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
