Jannik Sinner’s Davis Cup captain predicts what will happen to the Shanghai Masters next year after brutal 2025 event

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The 2025 Shanghai Masters 1000 event hasn’t quite gone to plan...

Before the tournament began, world number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Shanghai Masters due to injury.

Then, the number-one seed, Jannik Sinner, retired in round three, suffering from severe cramps in the brutal conditions.

Several other big names have struggled, including Novak Djokovic, who received medical attention during his fourth-round win over Jaume Munar.

Weighing in with his thoughts on the Shanghai Masters, Italy’s Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri had this to say.

Filippo Volandri doesn’t think top players will compete in Shanghai next year unless they make a change

During an interview with ‘SuperTennis TV’, Italy’s Davis Cup captain Volandri suggested that players may skip the 2026 Shanghai Masters if tournament organizers don’t make one key change.

“Almost in every match that lasts longer than two hours, the doctor comes in, takes blood pressure, takes temperature, and the player feels ill,” he said.

“We are in an extraordinary year where this temperature, combined with humidity, hasn’t been recorded in Shanghai in the last ten years.

“China should consider an indoor tour.

“So I find it hard to imagine that next year some players, those who can afford it, will play in these difficult conditions because then you carry the problems with you for 2-3 weeks.”

The Shanghai Masters does have a roof, although it is only used when rain affects play.

Introducing a fully air-conditioned indoor arena could provide the perfect solution to the problem and prevent players from struggling with the heat as they have in 2025.

As with any other big event, the Shanghai Masters tournament organizers want to see the very biggest names in tennis compete.

Unfortunately, due to the tricky conditions, just three top ten players made their way through to the fourth round.

• Novak Djokovic – ATP #5
• Alex de Minaur – ATP #7
• Lorenzo Musetti – ATP #9

Volandri is concerned that the top players on tour may not even bother travelling to Shanghai next year, as they look to focus on their health instead.

Only time will tell whether the Shanghai Masters will make a change, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on ahead of 2026.

Every Shanghai Masters winner since 2009

We could see a surprise winner in Shanghai this year due to the conditions, but who else has won the tournament since it was introduced to the Masters 1000 calendar in 2009?

Just three players have won multiple titles in Shanghai, Novak Djokovic (4), Andy Murray (3), and Roger Federer (2).

Serbia’s Djokovic has a chance to win his fifth title in 2025, as he prepares for his quarterfinal match.

A losing finalist in 2024, Djokovic will play Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the 2025 quarterfinals.

As the highest-ranked player remaining in the competition, many expect the 38-year-old to book his place in the final for the second year running.

There he could meet one of Learner Tien, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Arthur Rinderknech, or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

He won’t want to get too far ahead of himself, however, and will first focus on his quarterfinal match with Bergs.

Djokovic will play Bergs in the 2025 Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Thursday, October 9.