Roger Federer has a good track record in Shanghai, winning the Shanghai Masters three times. He also won two Tennis Masters Cups, now called the ATP Finals, in the same city in 2006 and 2007. This has allowed Federer to develop a passionate fan base in the Chinese city. The audience there has seen some of his best tennis.
Some of Federer’s most important hard-court wins have come in Shanghai. From his early days to his twilight years, his tennis was mostly top-notch in the city. Highlights of the Swiss legend plying his trade in China have been repeatedly watched by tennis fans. Here are five such memorable matches Federer has played in Shanghai –
1. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, 2006 Tennis Masters Cup
The famous rivalry was just beginning to heat up when Roger Federer crossed paths with Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Federer had finished runner-up in the previous edition, losing to David Nalbandian. The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s drive to reclaim the title he had won in 2003 and 2004 was visible as he went unbeaten in the group stage.
Nadal was at the receiving end in the semi-final. Federer cruised past him 6-4, 7-5, sending down seven aces to his opponent’s zero. He had 11 break points throughout the match while the Spaniard had only two. The eventual champion converted only three of those 11 break points, but he won the final game by breaking Nadal.
Federer went on to defeat surprise finalist James Blake to win his third year-end championship.
2. Roger Federer vs. Fernando Gonzalez, 2007 Tennis Masters Cup
Federer returned to Shanghai in 2007 to defend his Tennis Masters Cup title. In the round robin stage, he fell to a shocking defeat against #7 seed Fernando Gonzalez. This was his first-ever loss in the group stages of the Masters Cup.
With momentum on his side after winning the first set 6-3, Federer was expected to win after the second set went into a tiebreak. Gonzalez, though, upset all calculations and blazed away to a 6-0 lead, wrapping up the tiebreak and set soon after. The thrilling decider stood at 5-5 when the Chilean broke his opponent to go up 6-5. Gonzalez served out his game to record one of the biggest wins of his career, beating Federer 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5.
The setback, however, proved to be nothing more than a minor hurdle in Federer’s title defense. The then-World No.1 topped his group despite the loss. He then defeated Nadal in the semis and David Ferrer in the final to win his fourth title.
3. Federer vs Ljubicic, 2005 Tennis Masters Cup
Federer entered the 2005 edition of the Masters Cup in Shanghai after sustainin a serious leg injury. Having used crutches for weeks, the reigning US Open champion was unsure of participating up to two days before the tournament commenced. He did end up playing, and played extremely well. He went unbeaten in the round robin stage.
One of the names Federer dispatched was Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, who would go on to coach the Swiss legebd in the future. He took the first set 6-3 before Ljubicic bounced back to bag the second. The two-time defending champion was visibly struggling with his legs, unable to move freely. He had to be looked at by the physiotherapist at the beginning of the third set.
Federer seemed to recover and had three match points in the decider. Ljubicic saved all of them and dragged the set into the tiebreak by winning three games on the trot.
Federer prevailed in the tiebreak to win the match 6–3, 2–6, 7–6 (7-4). Playing through injury, he dismantled Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in the semi-final before falling to Nalbandian in a five-set final.
4. Federer vs. Djokovic, 2014 Shanghai Masters
Two-time defending champion and World No.1 Novak Djokovic faced off against a 33-year-old Federer in the semi-finals of the 2014 Shanghai Masters. The ATP 1000 tournament, started in 2009, had evaded Federer so far. He seemed driven to end the hoodoo and lay his hands on the trophy.
Federer dominated Djokovic from the start, never letting him settle in and get going. He fired 35 winners and eight aces to convincingly win the tie 6-4, 6-4. He exuded confidence and Djokovic later conceded that Federer played the ‘perfect match’. The talking point, however, was the Serb hitting him with a forehand and seemingly not address or apologise for it.
Defeating the unseeded Gilles Simon in the final, Federer lifted the Shanghai Masters crown in 2014.
5. Federer vs. del Potro, 2017 Shanghai Masters
2017 was an eventful year for Roger Federer, winning two Grand Slams and three ATP 1000 titles in addition to kickstarting the Laver Cup. The third Masters title was Shanghai, downing Nadal in the final to win the tournament for a second time. This was the last time fans saw the iconic ‘Fedal’ rivalry in an ATP Tour event.
Before the final, however, Federer had to get over Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals. The Argentine won the first set comprehensively with his powering forehands. His opponent then brought his best in the second and third sets. Federer never faced a break point after the first set and sent down 35 winners overall. Ultimately, the eventual champion defeated Del Potro 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to set up the final with Nadal. The semi-final was a thrilling fixture that had top-quality shotmaking on display from both the players, with Federer saying the level of the game was ‘extremely high’.
