Sebastian Korda could miss the entire Asian swing on the ATP Tour after withdrawing from the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Korda has not competed since a brutal second-round defeat at the US Open against Tomas Machac. The home favorite was dismantled 4-6, 2-6, 4-6 by his opponent, continuing his struggles at Grand Slams.
This year's early exit at Flushing Meadows was particularly disappointing for Korda since he had won his first ATP 500 tournament at the Citi DC Open in Washington at the start of the North American hard-court season.
Unfortunately for Korda, an issue with his right arm hampered him during his contest with Machac. That significantly derailed his chances of being competitive against a well-played opponent.
Korda was set to play at the ongoing Hangzhou Open. However, he and Matteo Berrettini withdrew from the tournament. At that stage, it was unclear whether Korda did this as a precaution or because the injury was serious.
Next week, the China Open in Beijing and the Japan Open in Tokyo are played, but the American is not on the entry list for either tournament. Many players are starting the Asian swing at those ATP 500 tournaments.
Sadly for Korda and his fans, his absence will extend to the only ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Asia. The current world No. 15 withdrew from the Shanghai Masters due to his ongoing injury.
Korda needed exceptional results throughout the Asian swing and the subsequent European indoor hard court season to keep his faint hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive, but that goal is undoubtedly over now.
The 24-year-old's next scheduled tournament is the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan, starting October 14th. He is the No. 1 seed on the entry list of the event he finished runner-up at last year, but his involvement is uncertain now.
Korda might be tempted to end his season early if he has any lingering doubts about whether he could break down again by returning too early, potentially jeopardizing his chances of being prepared for 2025.
Cameron Norrie also withdrew from the Shanghai Masters. The Briton has not competed since losing to Rafael Nadal at the Bastad Open in mid-July because of a forearm injury.
The former world No. 8 has slipped off the radar somewhat after a few years of exceptional progress. He was already struggling for form before sustaining the injury, which is currently sidelining him.
It appears Norrie will make his comeback on the ATP Challenger circuit. His next scheduled tournament is the Roanne Challenger in France on October 7th. Testing his form at a lower level after an extended period out seems like a sensible decision.
Although Korda and Norrie's absence from the Shanghai Masters is a shame, it still promises to be an exceptional tournament in China. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are all on the entry list.
Djokovic needs to pick up points in Shanghai if he wants to qualify for the ATP Finals, although the Serbian created attention by saying he was done with events like the ATP Finals.
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