Tommy Paul Withdraws From Shanghai As Injury Puts ATP Finals Hopes at Risk

World No. 15 Tommy Paul’s 2025 season was a punishing battle with injuries. It derailed his consistency on the ATP Tour. A painful abdominal strain hampered his French Open run. It followed a devastating tendon rupture in his foot during his Wimbledon clash with Sebastian Ofner. Just when it seemed Paul had turned a corner, reaching the US Open third round, fate struck again with another setback against Alexander Bublik. As the tour shifts focus to the Shanghai Masters, heartbreak hits once more: Paul has withdrawn. His ATP Finals hopes hang by a thread as his fight to stay healthy continues.

Tommy Paul has officially withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters, which begins on October 1. “Paul had an outside chance to make Turin but he is the second top 20 player (after Draper) to withdraw from Shanghai,” tennis insider Jose Morgado wrote, summing up the blow to the American’s late-season push. He confirmed his withdrawal on September 23, just days before the tournament commenced. The Shanghai Masters traditionally welcomes the best tennis players in the world. 

This withdrawal carries heavy ranking consequences. Paul reached the round of 16 in Shanghai last year, which means the 28-year-old will drop 100 ATP points once the event concludes. Every point counts for a player chasing a spot in the prestigious ATP Finals in Turin, making this setback sting even more.

His absence also shakes up the draw. It opens the door for France’s Arthur Cazaux, who now gains direct entry into the main draw without battling through qualifying rounds. A silver lining for the French camp. Moreover, this reshuffle could prove significant for Cazaux’s own ranking climb.

Adding to the narrative, Paul also pulled out of the Laver Cup earlier this month. Fellow Americans Reilly Opelka and Alex Michelsen filled their spots as they carried Team World to its third Laver Cup title. Paul, a victorious 2023 Team World squad member, was forced to watch this year’s celebrations from the sidelines. His injury woes continued to cast a shadow over what was shaping into a breakthrough season.

A relentless injury saga marred Tommy Paul’s 2025 season, a shadow that loomed largest during the grass-court swing. A couple of months ago, the defending champion at the Queen’s Club ATP 500 had to withdraw at the last minute, a cruel twist after a year in which he became the favorite to defend the title. Paul prepared to face West Kensington again, where he had stormed to glory 12 months ago. 

The injuries have been no secret to fans, who watched Paul battle through the French Open with grit. After his comeback win over Marton Fucsovics in the round of 64, Paul admitted, “I’ve been dealing with a bunch of things. But just something in my lower ab I’ve been dealing with. I mean, for most of the match, I mean, I was feeling it.”

Adding perspective, Paul’s coach has illuminated the broader reality of the tour, emphasizing how unconventional hurdles can shape a player’s career. 

Tommy Paul’s bizarre locker room injury incident revealed

On a recent episode of The Inside In Tennis podcast, Tommy Paul’s coach, Brad Stine, shed light on the American’s grueling 2025 season. It became a year marked by his Davis Cup withdrawals, which impacted Team USA’s performance. Stine recounted a bizarre incident during the clay-court swing at the Madrid Open, pinpointing Paul’s R16 loss to Jack Draper as the spark for a lingering injury nightmare.

Stine described the incident in detail: “We get to the courts and, you know, I don’t think anybody did anything underhanded or anything like that, but all of his stuff was gone from his locker, which included his shoes and inside of his shoes, his orthotics.” The disappearance of the gear, particularly his well-worn orthotics, would prove pivotal in shaping the following struggles.“These orthotics were really, those were older orthotics that were kind of broken in. And so, you know, he had a second pair of orthotics, but they were brand new, a little bit stiff,” Stine revealed. 

He later continued, “And all of a sudden his foot starts bothering him. And, you know, we’re convinced obviously that it was the transition to the newer orthotics. Foot started getting worse and worse and worse.” Despite diligent treatment from Paul’s physio, Seba, the discomfort intensified. Every single movement on court turned into a battle against his own body.

“He was playing on it and everything, but it was definitely bothering him,” Stine added. The incident highlighted the razor-thin margins in professional tennis, where minor disruptions can ripple into season-defining consequences.

Now that his withdrawal from the Shanghai Open is confirmed, Paul gains crucial time to recover, though questions loom large about the American’s participation in the ATP Finals. After months of battling injuries sparked by a strange locker-room mishap, the tennis world now waits to see if Paul can reclaim his rhythm.