The draw for the Shanghai Masters 1000, one of the premier men's tennis tournaments, was announced on Monday, October 5, without the participation of world number one Jannik Sinner, who withdrew due to a knee injury. Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz were seeded first and second, respectively. Novak Djokovic, the 10th seed, will be placed in Zverev's half of the draw, while Arthur Fils, the eighth seed, is positioned in the third quarter. The tournament will run from October 7 to 18 at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center in Shanghai. Djokovic will receive a bye in the first round, meaning he will not have to play until the second round. If the Polish player Hubert Hurkacz defeats James Duckworth, Djokovic could face him in the second round. Further potential matches include Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals, and Ben Shelton in the semifinals. The draw also includes a possible semifinal rematch between Djokovic and Zverev, who recently met in Beijing, where Djokovic won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, will also receive a bye in the first round and will face either Juan Manuel Cerundolo or a qualifier in the second round. In the third round, he could potentially meet Ignacio Buse. Valentin Vacherot, the 2025 defending champion, is in the same section and could challenge Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, with Daniil Medvedev or Taylor Fritz possibly waiting in the semifinals. Arthur Fils, the eighth seed, will start against a qualifier or Tallon Griekspoor. A theoretical quarterfinal against Félix Auger-Aliassime is possible, as other notable players like Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien, Casper Ruud, Jiri Lehecka, and Rafael Jodar are also in the third quarter. There will be seven French players in the main draw. Ugo Humbert, the 30th seed, will receive a bye and will face the winner of the Arthur Gea - Jaime Faria match. Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino will start against qualifiers, while Luca Van Assche will face Yunchaokete Bu and Valentin Royer will be opposed to Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. Arthur Rinderknech, the 2025 finalist, is absent from this year's tournament.