Carlos Alcaraz has not competed on the ATP Tour since capturing his eighth title of the year at the Japan Open.
The Spaniard, who suffered an injury scare during the tournament, dropped just one set on his way to the title in Tokyo.
Following his triumph in Asia, Alcaraz travelled to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Six Kings Slam. The 22-year-old reached the final before losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Alcaraz has now arrived in France to compete in the Paris Masters – the final Masters 1000 tournament of 2025.
Carlos Alcaraz’s tricky Paris Masters draw
As the number one seed, Alcaraz will receive a bye through to the second round in Paris. However, his path from there becomes a lot tougher.
The Spaniard will face either Cameron Norrie or Sebastian Baez in the second round.
Baez has been on a poor run of form in 2025. However, Norrie still poses a threat to any player, as demonstrated by his victory against seventh seed Andrey Rublev at the Vienna Open.
In the third round, there is the possibility of an extremely enticing match. Alcaraz could face recent Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot, who became just the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 event.
If Alcaraz does not face Vacherot, he will play either Shanghai Masters finalist Arthur Rinderknech or world number 17 Jiri Lehecka.
In the quarter-final, Alcaraz could face one of two recent ATP champions – Felix Auger-Aliassime or Casper Ruud, who won the Brussels Open and Stockholm Open, respectively.
In the semi-finals, Alcaraz could face Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik or Karen Khachanov. In the final, a potential match against longtime rival Jannik Sinner awaits.
A potential rematch of the Shanghai Masters final
An exciting rematch could be on the cards in Shanghai.
Recently, Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech stunned tennis fans by reaching the Shanghai Masters final.
Vacherot was ranked 204 in the world while Rinderknech was ranked 54.
The pair, who are cousins, could meet again in the Paris Masters second round. Vacherot faces Jiri Lehecka in the first round, while Rinderknech is set to play Fabian Marozsan.
