Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have both just been given a great opportunity by Carlos Alcaraz 

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Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev will be hoping that they can take advantage of this great opportunity.

It has been a tumultuous season for both players, particularly Medvedev, who is under real pressure to end his 2025 season well.

The former world number one was able to show some signs of that, with Medvedev actually beating Alexander Zverev under the guidance of his new coach Thomas Johansson.

However, this all came crashing down again, as Medvedev was forced to retire in his China Open semifinal.

Now, as both players look to regroup, they will look to take advantage of an opportunity that Alcaraz has left them.

Carlos Alcaraz has gifted Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev a big opportunity

Alcaraz won the Japan Open after beating Taylor Fritz in the final, but it appears that all was not as well as it seemed and he has since withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters due to ‘some physical issues’.

The six-time Grand Slam champion would have been the top seed for the Shanghai Masters, where the draw has already taken place, but now Corentin Moutet has filled his place as the 33rd seed.

This has left open a big opportunity for players in the top half of the draw, where both Medvedev and Zverev feature.

Medvedev has only won one Grand Slam match all year and is currently at his lowest ranking since 2018, but Alcaraz’s withdrawal means that he is the highest ranked player in his section and is forecasted to reach the quarterfinals.

Zverev has been in the top three of the ATP rankings for over 13 months, but his position is currently under threat from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

Having won the Paris Masters title last year, Zverev knows that he has a significant number of ranking points to defend in the coming weeks and could do with alleviating some of that pressure before he returns to the capital.

Alongside Zverev and Medvedev, the other higher ranked players in the top half of the Shanghai Masters draw include Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov.

There has also been an opportunity given to someone in the bottom half of the draw, with Jannik Sinner looking to close the gap on Alcaraz as world number one.

Former champions of the Shanghai Masters

Not only have Zverev and Medvedev got an opportunity at the Shanghai Masters this year, but both players have actually reached the final before.

In the 2019 edition of the tournament, Medvedev beat Zverev in the final to win what was his second Masters 1000 title at the time.

The Shanghai Masters has only held two editions since then, with the tournament having a four-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Sinner beat Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters final and after Alcaraz’s withdrawal, he will now be the highest ranked player remaining.

Despite being in the latter stages of his career and playing a more limited schedule, Djokovic is in the draw again and will play a Grand Slam champion in his opening match.