Tennis - ATP Calendar: Shanghai. Top Talent in Asia
by Bradley Gibbs | by Tyler Doty
Shanghai Masters: Djokovic to clinch a fifth title?
The world of top-tier tennis is a little quieter this week, with the WTA event in Beijing nearing and end, while on the ATP Tour, there’s just one tournament to focus on.
The Shanghai Masters is a prestigious event, make no mistake about that, so expect to see the world’s best players giving it their all this week. If you’re looking to bet on this tournament, be sure to check out our tennis predictions.
Nine of the world’s top ten players will feature this week, so this is a serious tournament, one that everyone wants to win. A quick look at the names on the recent winners list below shows that this is an important event.
Could it pay to side with the man who has won more than anybody else? Of course, even for a player of Novak Djokovic’s quality, this week will be tough, but at this venue, he’s the main man and is hard to ignore.
There were questions over whether legend of the game Novak Djokovic would be in attendance in Shanghai this week, but the Serbian has confirmed that he’s there and raring to go, which should leave all other players fearful.
After all, China’s largest city has been a happy hunting ground for the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who has won four titles in Shanghai, coming out on top as recently as 2018.
Recent tournament history:
2023: Hubert Hurkacz defeated Andrey Rublev to become champion
2019: Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev to become champion
2018: Novak Djokovic defeated Borna Coric to become champion
2017: Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal to become champion
2016: Andy Murray defeated Roberto Bautista to become champion
2015: Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to become champion
2014: Roger Federer defeated Gilles Simon to become champion
2013: Novak Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become champion
2012: Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray to become champion
Bet on the ATP Tour with FanDuel
Victory in the Face of New Talent
Despite being the most successful player since the rebranding of the event in 2009, the current world number four is not the favorite in the betting this week. That title belongs to world number three Carlos Alcaraz, who will be the second seed.
The first seed (and second favorite in the market) is world number one and recent US Open winner Jannik Sinner, while Alexander Zverev, who reached the final of this event last year, is the second seed.
Third in the seeding comes tournament favorite Alcaraz, leaving Novak Djokovic as the fourth seed, though that won’t worry the man who has won everything.
He may be the fourth seed here, but for my money, he should be the favorite, making the available odds of +350 look somewhat generous. It’s hard to ignore the fact that Djokovic has won this event five times, plus he’s fresh and will likely be chomping at the bit to get back down to business.
A Djokovic that is keen to get on with things is usually a Djokovic that is incredibly tough to beat, so I really will be surprised if the Serb doesn’t go deep into this event.
If you’re looking for something at a bigger price, then Daniil Medvedev fits the bill. The Russian, who is available at pre-tournament odds of +1000, is no stranger to playing well in this part of the world.
Not only did the world number five reach the semi-finals in Beijing last week, but he won this tournament last season, showing a clear liking for the courts in Shanghai. Given his quality and recent form, Medvedev is too good to be available at odds of +1000.
