Archive of posts tagged Shanghai

Roger Federer Return Set For Shanghai Exhibition Doubles

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By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 11, 2025
Photo credit: Wilson

The Swiss Maestro will make the strings sing in Shanghai in October.

Former world No. 1 Roger Federer announced he will play an exhibition doubles match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on October 10th.

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“Shanghai has always been a special place for me, with great fans, unforgettable memories and a real love for the game,” Federer said in a video message posted on the tournament’s social media channels.  “I look forward to seeing you there on October 10th.

“Shanghai let’s meet.”

The Roger Federer and Friends Celebrity doubles match will feature actors Wu Lei and Donnie Yen, and former Chinese tennis player Zheng Jie. The Federer exhibition doubles match will be played on  Qizhong Stadium’s center court.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to Shanghai last fall where he practiced with Carlos Alcaraz in a session starring two of the top shotmakers in Open Era history.

An immensely popular presence in Asia, Federer is a two-time Shanghai champion.

In the 2017 final, the second-seeded Swiss played a near-flawless match firing 10 aces against no double faults and permitting just eight points on serve in a 6-4, 6-3 win over top-seeded rival Rafael Nadal.

Federer captured his first Shanghai title in 2014 out-dueling Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6(6), 7-6(2) in a one hour, 53-minute final. The third-seeded Federer stopped top-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 in the 2014 semifinals.

In an interview with Tennis Now in New York City during the 2024 US Open, Federer said he had been hitting and was looking forward to potentially playing some exhibitions.

Visiting the Masters at Augusta National in April, Federer reiterated his desire to play some exhibitions.

“Honestly, I would love to play some more tennis again. Enough with the golf already for a moment now,” Roger told SNTV. 

“I would seriously start playing 2 or 3 times a week again and hopefully get myself back on the exhibition court and hopefully maybe fill up a few nice stadiums around the world.”

In two months time, fans will see Federer back on court in Shanghai.

Roger Federer returns to Shanghai a year after practicing with Carlos Alcaraz

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Alberto Ramos-Vinolas

Roger Federer will return to Shanghai this fall. The two-time champion will embrace the Roger Federer and friends celebrity doubles match on October 10, offering his fans another chance to see him in action on the court.

Last year, the Swiss spent a couple of entertaining days in Shanghai, exploring the city and enjoying the action at the eighth Masters 1000 event of the season. 

The two-time winner met Novak Djokovic, watched Jannik Sinner and trained with Carlos Alcaraz on an indoor court, joking and asking what he was doing there.

Federer was 23-6 during his eight visits to Shanghai. The legend defeated Novak Djokovic on his debut in 2010 before losing the final to Andy Murray. The same rivals met in the semi-final two years later, and the Briton celebrated in straight sets.

Roger fell to Gael Monfils in 2013, still seeking his first title in China. It finally came in 2014 over Novak Djokovic and Gilles Simon. Alberto Ramos-Vinolas stunned him in 2015, and the crowd favorite bounced back stronger in 2017.

Federer ousted Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal en route to his second and last title in China. The Swiss played a sublime match, dropping eight points in his games and breaking his greatest rival's serve three times en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. 

Roger competed as the defending champion in 2018 and suffered a surprising loss to Borna Coric in the semi-final in straight sets. Six years ago, the two-time winner battled in China for the eighth and final time. 

He lost a tight encounter to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final, wrapping up his Shanghai Masters journey with a 23-6 score. Federer enjoyed his time in China last October, and the fans will see him again in two months. 

Carlos Alcaraz can become World No.1 already after 2025 US Open: all details inside

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2025 US Open

If he participated in the Toronto Masters 1000, Carlos Alcaraz would have had a chance to get closer to Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings. The world No. 1 was the first to announce his absence in Canada, having to recharge his batteries after winning the Wimbledon title for the first time in his career.

A few days later, the 22-year-old Spaniard made the same decision having played many matches in recent months. The five-time Grand Slam champion made it to the bottom of every tournament, lifting his second trophy in a row at Roland Garros and reaching another final at Church Road (lost to his top rival in four sets).

The world number 2 will return to action in Cincinnati and will use this tournament as a test in view of the US Open, where he had a disastrous run last year being eliminated already in the second round.

The rivalry continues

Sinner will have to defend 3000 points between Cincinnati and the US Open, in addition to losing the 200 points obtained in Montreal last year.

This means that Alcaraz has a real chance to overtake his top rival already by the end of the summer, but to succeed in this feat he would have to win the title in both Ohio and New York.

The Italian ace will have many more points to defend than the Spanish star even in the latter part of the season, considering that he had triumphed at the Shanghai Masters 1000 and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in 2024.

Carlos – on the contrary – had not particularly shone in the second half of last season, except for his victory at the Beijing ATP 500 beating Jannik at the end of a truly spectacular final.

This rivalry is set to electrify fans in the second half of 2025 as they wait to see if any other players can become dangerous to their dominance. The general feeling is that these two young champions are taking tennis into a new dimension, creating a huge gap compared to all their opponents.