Goffin and Bergs want to shine, Djokovic back after his failure in New York: everything you need to know about the Masters 1000 in Shanghai

David Goffin leaves this Sunday for the Masters 1000 in Shanghai: “Why did I choose Stockholm rather than Antwerp? There were differences of opinion”

When is the tournament taking place?

The main draw will begin this Wednesday, October 2 and end on Sunday, October 13 with the singles and doubles finals. Most of the time, the matches will start at 12:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. in Belgium), the night sessions will start at 6:30 p.m. in Shanghai (12:30 p.m. in Belgium).

Where is the Shanghai Masters 1000 taking place?

Once again, the Shanghai Masters will take place at the QiZhong Forest Sports City Arena, the largest tennis venue in Asia. The complex has a total of 25 tennis courts, including Center Court (13,800 seats), Grandstand Court 2 (5,000 seats) and Court 3 (2,000 seats).

Who will play in Shanghai?

The field will be very, very tough with nine of the ten best players in the ATP top 10. Only the winner of the 2023 edition, the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, will be absent due to a knee injury. Absent from the courts since his elimination in the third round of the US Open, Novak Djokovic will be present in Shanghai. The Serbian holds a record of four titles in this Masters 1000 where he will return for the first time in five years. Nole will try to win a historic fifth title in China but will face tough competition with the presence of boys like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. Other big names heading to Shanghai include Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. An invitation was awarded to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

Which Belgians?

Two Belgian players will be present in the main singles draw. David Goffin (ATP 65) will face James Duckworth (ATP 72) in the first round. If he wins, the Liégeois will challenge Lorenzo Musetti (ATP 18). Zizou Bergs (ATP 74) will face local Zhizhen Zhang (ATP 41) in the first round. The winner of this match will play against Grigor Dimitrov (ATP 10). In doubles, Sander Gillé and Joran Vliegen will face the second seed made up of Arevalo and Pavic.

Quel prize-money ?

The total prize pool will amount to almost nine million dollars, an increase of 2.22% compared to last year’s tournament. The winner will receive $1.1 million.