There are some titles that Rafael Nadal is shockingly yet to win despite his otherwise trophy-laden career. The Shanghai Masters title continues to evade him. Two other ATP 1000 tournaments, Paris and Miami, are also not found in his list of honours. This is a surprising deficit for Nadal, given he is no pushover on hard courts. He has six hard-court Grand Slams, amongst many more trophies on the surface.
However, the absence of a Shanghai Masters title stands out like a sore thumb in Nadal’s record. The Asian heat and the toll of the Grand Slam season could be two of the biggest factors behind his underperformance in China. There have been a few occasions where the 22-time Majors winner has looked in great form and was expected to win. He, though, always seemed to run into someone who managed to beat him. Here are five such players who got the better of Nadal at the Shanghai Masters to deny him the title –
1. Nikolay Davydenko continued his hard-court domination over Rafael Nadal in 2009
Nikolay Davydenko is one of the most underrated players whose peak clashed with that of Nadal’s. He was a thorn in the former’s skin on hard courts, beating Nadal six times on hard surfaces while losing only once.
At the inaugural Shanghai Masters in 2009, Nadal was seeded first and expectedly reached the final. The No.6 seed Davydenko, however, denied the Spaniard the title, defeating him in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. This capped off an incredible tournament for the Russian, who beat the No.2 seed Novak Djokovic in the semi-final en route to winning the event. Davydenko saved a set point in the first set. The match could have gone very differently had Nadal secured the first set.
2. Juan Martin del Potro dented Nadal’s incredible hard-court run in 2013
2013 marked a great comeback for Nadal after injury. He dominated the North American hardcourt campaign, winning the Canada Open and the Cincinnati Open and following it up with a US Open triumph. This meant he was unbeaten on hard courts in 2013 (he did not feature in the Australian Open). He was expected to carry his form into the Asian swing.
Nadal, however, could not secure any titles in China in 2013. He raced to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters without breaking much of a sweat. But he ran into a spirited Juan Martin del Potro, who dismantled him 6-2, 6-4. The Argentine sent down multiple aces and Nadal could not break him even once. Del Potro eventually lost the final to Djokovic.
3. When a sick Nadal was shown an early exit by a compatriot in 2014
An injury forced Nadal to skip the entire North American swing in 2014, where he was the defending champion in all tournaments as mentioned above. His lack of practice and rustiness showed in the Asian campaign as he returned after three months. His health issues continued as he announced an appendicitis diagnosis days before the Shanghai Masters. He was reportedly left bedridden and unable to even walk, but recovered enough to participate on antibiotics.
Nadal said he took the medication to delay his surgery until after the season. However, the side-effects of the medicines had him reeling in his first match of the 2014 Shanghai Masters against Feliciano Lopez. Courtesy of his No.2 seeding, Nadal was given a bye into the second round. Fellow Spaniard Lopez came up against him and won 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).
A clearly ailing and weaker Nadal managed to race to a 5-2 lead in the second set, but did not have the energy to hold on, as he later claimed that he felt dizzy (via ESPN). Lopez bounced back to win the second set and the match and progress to the third round.
Nadal ultimately missed out on the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals because of his appendicitis surgery.
4. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recovered from a bagel to beat Nadal in 2015
Nadal had a poor 2015 by his usual lofty standards, failing to win a single Grand Slam as he slid outside the top 5. He entered the Shanghai Masters seeded eight but managed to reach the semi-finals. Up against the 16th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, he would have fancied his chances to make it to the finals.
Tsonga took the first set 6-4 but lost his way in the second. Nadal inflicted an embarrassing bagel to take the match into the decider. The momentum rested with the former World No.1 but the Frenchman found his groove and his big-serving prowess soon in the third set. He won the third set to close out the clash 6-4, 0-6, 7-5.
The highlight of the fixture was Tsonga’s full-length dive to return an otherwise unreachable ball which sent Nadal scampering. The Spaniard was evidently not expecting his opponent to make the volley and was not prepared. This brought up the match point for Tsonga which he easily converted.
5. The Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer rivalry at the 2017 Shanghai Masters
Rafael Nadal showed up at the 2017 Shanghai Masters in imperious form, having won the US Open and China Open. His run continued in the ATP 1000 event as he stormed into the finals, only to face long-time rival Roger Federer. The Swiss icon never faced a break point, dominating the match throughout to win 6-4, 6-3 and lift the trophy. In doing so, he snapped Nadal’s 16-match winning streak.
With the likes of Djokovic and Andy Murray not participating, 2017 would have been Nadal’s best chance to add the elusive title to his cabinet. He had form on his side and had acclimatised to the conditions after winning the ATP 500 in Beijing. He was the top seed and will surely rue not besting the No.2 seed Federer. The Shanghai Masters remains a glaring absence in Nadal’s career.
