ATP and WTA stars gear up as the 2025 China Open kicks off at the National Tennis Center in Beijing from September 24. Top performers from the men’s and women’s tour, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz, are the defending champions of the tournament in singles.
Stars like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Amanda Anisimova will be in the mix and battle it out in hopes of the title. However, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 1s of the ATP and WTA rankings, will be missing from the action.
Let us look at five players who will not be playing in the 2025 China Open:
#1 Carlos Alcaraz
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However, the six-time Grand Slam champion has opted to stay back in America and play in the Laver Cup this weekend. He will be representing Team Europe, alongside Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, etc., and later travel to Tokyo to kick off the Asia leg of the season.
#2 Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka had to withdraw from Beijing following an injury she endured during her 2025 US Open campaign. Fresh off a Grand Slam title win, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final of the New York Slam, fans awaited Sabalenka's fiery presence on the court.
However, the Belarusian shared an emotional message to announce her withdrawal via the organisers, saying:
"I am sad to announce my withdrawal from the China Open this year after sustaining a small injury after the U.S. Open. I am going to focus on being 100% healthy for the rest of the year." (via Reuters)
The four-time Grand Slam winner is scheduled to play in Wuhan in October, but has yet to provide any confirmation on the matter.
#3 Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas is out of the China Open next week, due to an injury he endured during Greece's Davis Cup duel against Brazil earlier this week. The Greek reportedly had an MRI scan, which revealed his corticosteroid infection in his vertebra that he suffered during his match against Joao Fonseca on September 15.
The 27-year-old did not play in the last edition of the China Open as well, and this injury will keep him off the tour for some time. However, Tsitsipas hopes to recover and return in time for the Shanghai Masters later in October to give the final 1000-level tournament of the season a fair shot.
#4 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has likely marked the conclusion of his run on the pro tour for this year at the US Open. Abiding by his wish to compete only in Grand Slam tournaments, the 24-time major winner will not be playing in the China Open, nor does he have any other ATP event on his schedule this year.
However, the Serb will be making an appearance this year at the Six Kings Slam, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 16 - 19. The exhibition event, in its second year, will see the former world No. 1 alongside Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Jack Draper.
#5 Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton suffered a heartbreaking shoulder injury last month, which cut his 2025 US Open run short. However, the American has reportedly recovered from his injury and is set to make a comeback on the court in the Asia leg of the season.
Even though Shelton is not in the Team USA for the Laver Cup, he has been hanging out with the team. He will officially resume his season with the Japan Open from September 26, with the company of Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, among others.
