ATP and WTA tennis returns to China: What to expect and where are Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic playing?
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Updated 19/09/2023 at 18:04 GMT
As tennis returns to China, we look at who's playing where, what tournaments are coming up, and where Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are competing. The ATP Tour has not been in China since 2019, while the women’s WTA Tour has not been in China since early 2020. The biggest tournaments on the calendars are the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters and WTA 1000 China Open.
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The ATP and WTA tours will return to China this week.
For the men’s ATP Tour, it will be the first time in the country since 2019, while the women’s WTA Tour has not been in China since early 2020.
The WTA suspended events in China in December 2021 following concerns about the safety of Chinese player Peng Shuai.
That boycott was ended earlier this year, with WTA chief executive Steve Simon telling the BBC: “To continue with the same strategy doesn't make sense and a different approach is needed. Hopefully, by returning, more progress can be made.”
Most of the top players from both tours will be playing in China, but what events are on the schedule and who will be featuring where?
What ATP and WTA tournaments are in China?
The ATP returns to China with two tournaments in the week of September 18: the ATP 250 Chengdu Open and the ATP 250 Zhuhai Championships.
The ATP 500 China Open follows in Beijing from September 28, and then the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters from October 4.
On the WTA Tour, there’s the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open this week, then the WTA 250 Ningbo Open from September 25.
The WTA 1000 China Open starts on September 30 and the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open is from October 9. The WTA 250 Hong Kong Open will also be in the week of October 9 and there is the WTA 250 Jiangxi Open on October 16, before the WTA Elite Trophy returns in Zhuhai on October 24.
The Elite Trophy hasn’t been played since 2019 and features the next 12 players in the calendar-year race who didn’t qualify for the WTA Finals, which are being held in Cancun, Mexico.
ATP and WTA China schedule
- September 20: Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships (ATP 250)/Guangzhou Open (WTA 250)
- September 25: Ningbo Open (WTA 250)
- September 28: China Open (ATP 500)
- September 30: China Open (WTA 1000)
- October 4: Shanghai Masters (ATP 1000)
- October 9: Zhengzhou Open and Hong Kong Open (WTA 250)
- October 16: Jiangxi Open (WTA 250)
- October 24: WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai (WTA)
Who’s playing in China?
The first week of action in China in the ATP Tour is set to see Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie go from representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup in Manchester to playing in the Zhuhai Championships.
US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev was going to headline the tournament but he has pulled out.
Alexander Zverev is the top seed in Chengdu and is joined by Dan Evans, Lorenzo Musetti and Grigor Dimitrov.
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is set to play the China Open, along with most of the top 10.
The Shanghai Masters will also feature almost all of the top players, including Alcaraz, with plenty of ranking points on offer in the chase to qualify for the year-end Nitto ATP Finals.
Alcaraz has not played since losing in the semi-finals of the US Open, having pulled out of representing Spain at the Davis Cup to "recharge the batteries".
The top 30 on the WTA Tour are all entered into the WTA 1000 China Open.
New world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is set to play at the tournament, along with world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff.
The China Open is the last WTA 1000 on the calendar this season.
Several of the world's top 10, including Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula, will start their Asia swing at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, which gets under way on September 25.
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova will play at the Zhengzhou Open, alongside Rybakina, Ons Jabeur and Karolina Muchova.
Is Novak Djokovic playing?
Novak Djokovic will not return to China this year.
Djokovic, who played Davis Cup for Serbia last week, was entered into the Shanghai Masters but has now delayed his return following his US Open win.
"Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China,” said the world No. 1 on social media.
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Novak Djokovic won the Shanghai Masters in 2018
Image credit: Getty Images
“Shanghai has always been one of my favourite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again.”
It seems likely that Djokovic will return to action at the Paris Masters in late October, ahead of playing the Nitto ATP Finals.
Who are the defending champions in China?
As China has not been on either the ATP or WTA schedule for several years, there will not be any ranking points for players to defend.
However, there will still be defending champions at the tournaments.
When the China Open was last played in 2019, it was Dominic Thiem and Ashleigh Barty who were crowned singles champions.
Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev to win the Shanghai Masters when it was last staged, while the Zhengzhou Open was won in 2019 by Karolina Pliskova.
Sabalenka won the Elite Trophy when it was last played in 2019.
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