Novak Djokovic is yet to make a decision on whether he will play any part in the upcoming Asian swing, with the Shanghai Masters expected to be his only pitstop in Asia.
Djokovic appears in the initial entry list of the 2023 Shanghai Masters as the tournament's second seed. The penultimate ATP Masters 1000 kicks off in the first week of October and will last for 12 days. This year's tournament features an expanded list of up to 96 players in the singles field.
Djokovic is the most successful player at the Shanghai Masters, winning the event a record four times, and last appeared there in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic halted subsequent editions from being staged.
Speaking ahead of his first match at the 2023 Davis Cup in Valencia, Djokovic admits he is still unsure if he'll play the event, which kicks off less than a month from his record-tying 24th Grand Slam crown at the US Open.
Historically, Djokovic tends to prioritize rest instead of overburdening himself with playing too many tennis tournaments after a Grand Slam. That was the case this season, or for a few years now, and it looks like he might skip the event judging by his intonation, but he'll give an update soon.
"I still don't know what I will do with Shanghai, I will make a decision very soon, I will report on it when it is convenient."
Even if he skipped the Asian swing, Djokovic won't lose the No. 1 ranking as he has a massive lead of well over 3,000 points to second-placed Carlos Alcaraz, but the Spaniard could usurp him in the ATP Race, which counts for points earned in the current season.
The ATP Tour returns to China this month for the first time in four years, with tournaments in Zhuhai, Chengdu, and Beijing set to welcome some of the ATP's biggest stars.
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