Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters, played from Wednesday 7 to Sunday 18 October 2026: Alexander Zverev is the top seed, ahead of Carlos Alcaraz. Seven Frenchmen are in the draw, led by Arthur Fils (No. 8), and Ugo Humbert could face Arthur Gea in his opening match.

Why is Jannik Sinner not playing?

The world No. 1 is still troubled by his knee. He has not played since winning Wimbledon in July, and pulled out on 3 October. "I'm very sorry that I won't be able to play in front of the Shanghai fans next week," he wrote.

Who are the favourites?

Zverev leads the draw ahead of Alcaraz, Ben Shelton (No. 3), Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 4) and Daniil Medvedev (No. 5). All 32 seeds have a first-round bye in a 96-player draw.

Monday's draw puts Novak Djokovic (No. 10) in Zverev's half: the two can only meet in the semi-finals. The Serb, a four-time Shanghai champion who won in Beijing on Tuesday, opens against Hubert Hurkacz or James Duckworth, and could meet Frances Tiafoe (No. 7) in the last 16. Zverev first faces China's Wu Yibing or American Michael Zheng.

Alcaraz, who won Tokyo on the same day, is in the other half, with Medvedev a possible quarter-final opponent. He starts against Juan Manuel Cerundolo or a qualifier, and could meet the defending champion in the last 16.

Who is the defending champion?

Valentin Vacherot (No. 17). The Monegasque beat his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in last year's final (4-6, 6-3, 6-3), becoming, at No. 204 in the world, the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history. He first faces Sebastian Baez or Marcos Giron.

Rinderknech will not defend his finalist's points. Injured last Wednesday in a doubles match in Beijing, he has a "serious muscle tear" in his abdominals and is aiming to return at the Paris Masters.

How did the French players fare in the draw?

Arthur Fils (No. 8) awaits the winner between Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor and qualifier Pavel Kotov. He is in Auger-Aliassime's quarter.

Ugo Humbert (No. 30) could face Arthur Gea in the second round, if Gea first beats Portugal's Jaime Faria. The winner would then likely meet Ben Shelton.

The others:

  • Quentin Halys plays Hong Kong qualifier Coleman Wong, with Belgium's Alexander Blockx (No. 27) next.
  • Adrian Mannarino faces Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, then Flavio Cobolli (No. 6).
  • Luca Van Assche meets China's Bu Yunchaokete, a wildcard, then Casper Ruud (No. 20).
  • Valentin Royer takes on Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, then Tommy Paul (No. 15).

Corentin Moutet also withdrew from the entry list.

Sources

ATP Tour — Rolex Shanghai Masters 2026, tableau du simple

ATP Tour — Sinner withdraws from Shanghai

Eurosport — Arthur Rinderknech : « Mon corps m'a rappelé qu'il fallait parfois prendre une pause »