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Carlos Alcaraz reveals why he withdrew from Shanghai Masters ahead of Paris Masters showdown with Cameron Norrie - 'I had to hear my body'

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World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has revealed why he withdrew from the Shanghai Masters ahead of his Paris Masters clash with Cameron Norrie. The British star set up a match with the Spaniard by beating Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-3 6-4. Alcaraz also admitted that the tennis schedule is too busy, and that it is preventing players from preparing properly for tournaments.

'I had to heal' - Alcaraz on managing his body ahead of Paris Masters

Video credit: SNTV

Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he withdrew from the Shanghai Masters to ensure he was in "good shape" ahead of a busy end to the tennis season.

The world No. 1 will take on Cameron Norrie at the Paris Masters on Tuesday after the Brit beat Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-3 6-4.

The Spaniard had a busy September, beating Jannik SInner in the final of the US Open to start the month before coming out on top in the final of the Japan Open.

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Alcaraz believes his decision to take a break and recover from an ankle injury has left him in good shape ahead of a busy end to 2025.

"It was great," he said. "Obviously I did not want to withdraw from Shanghai, it is a very important tournament for me and for the players.

"But I had to hear my body, and I think that I was not ready to play another tournament in a row.

"So, I just preferred to come back home, recover my ankle and try to be in a good shape for this time of year.

"I think we could see last year and two years ago that I am not coming fresh to this time of year.

"I really wanted to put more attention on that, be in good shape and practice well, and coming here thinking that I can get a really good result.

"Right now, physically, I am feeling really good, practising well and hitting the ball well. I really want to see myself playing well again here."

The Spaniard is yet to win the ATP Finals during his career, and was eliminated from the Paris Open in the second round in 2023 and the third round in 2024.

Alcaraz believes the tennis schedule is too hectic, and that players need to be afforded more time to practice ahead of tournaments.

"They have to do something with the calendar," he added. "The amount of tournaments we have to play, I think it is too high.

"We don’t have such a good period of time where we can practice and we can rest.

"Even during the season, it is week after week after week, and we don’t have the chance to have a week to prepare well for the tournaments or what we have ahead in the season."

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