<p>Carlos Alcaraz just picked up his eighth ATP title of 2024 at the Japan Open, dismantling Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 in Tokyo - and then immediately hit the brakes on his season.</p> <p>The world number one announced he's withdrawing <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/results/2025-10-01/sports/tennis-13/atp-shanghai-masters-1598">from this week's Shanghai Masters</a>, and before you start panicking, let's be real: this is exactly what he should be doing.</p> <p>"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," Alcaraz posted on Instagram. Translation? His body is screaming at him to pump the brakes.</p> <h2>The Ankle Twist That Almost Wasn't</h2> <p>Alcaraz twisted his left ankle during his opening match in Tokyo last Thursday - just, you'd never have known it watching Sunday's final. He was absolutely dialed in, breaking Fritz for 5-4 and serving out the first set like nothing ever happened.</p> <p>The second set? That's where things got interesting (and not for Fritz). The American needed treatment twice on his left thigh (never a good sign) and Alcaraz did what champions do: he pounced.</p> <p>Fritz found himself down 4-1 after getting broken twice, managed to claw one break back, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the six-time Grand Slam champion from closing it out.</p> <h2>The Run That Won't Quit</h2> <p>Since losing to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July, he's rattled off three straight ATP titles: the Cincinnati Open, US Open, and now Tokyo. That's 67 wins on the season, and he's closing in fast on Sinner's 73 wins in 2024.</p> <p>But here's where the withdrawal makes sense: Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals in Shanghai last year, so there are points to defend. Still, what good are points if you're running on fumes? The answer is none, because you can't win tournaments with a compromised body.</p> <h2>What Alcaraz Is Walking Away From</h2> <p>Let's talk about what he's actually giving up here, because the Shanghai Masters isn't just another tournament on the schedule.</p> <p>As we have discussed in our <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/tennis/predictions/shanghai-masters-betting-predictions-2025">Shanghai Masters betting preview</a>, this is one of the ATP's nine Masters 1000 events - the tier just below the Grand Slams - and it's absolutely massive. We're talking a €8.8 million prize pool, with the winner pocketing around €1.1 million and a cool 1,000 ranking points.</p> <p>The tournament runs for nearly two weeks at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena (yes, that's the one with the retractable roof that looks like a blooming flower). It attracts the best players in the world, and missing it? That's not a decision you make lightly.</p> <p>Alcaraz made the quarter-finals there last year before losing to Hubert Hurkacz, so he's defending 180 points. For context, that's the difference between being comfortable at world number one and suddenly looking over your shoulder. But it’s clear that you can't defend points if you're hobbling around on a dodgy ankle. The math just doesn't work.</p> <p>This withdrawal also means he's sacrificing crucial match time heading into the final stretch of the season, with the ATP Finals in Turin looming in November.</p> <p>That's where the top eight players battle it out, and you want to arrive there firing on all cylinders - not limping in after pushing through injury.</p>