Roger Federer Reveals Song Chinese Fans Dedicated Only to Him When He Failed at Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer recently attended the Shanghai Masters, where the Swiss maestro was invited for a special ceremony. The former World No. 1 was honoured at the tournament, where Chinese fans had the opportunity to pay their respects to the Swiss legend for the first time since his retirement in September 2022. Federer received an Icon Athlete Award at a ceremony that also included local WTA champion, Li Na.

Roger Federer was a constant participant at the Shanghai Masters. The 20-time Grand Slam champion appeared in every edition until the final one in 2019. He earned over $2 million for his title victories in 2014 and 2017 ($798,540 and $1,136,850 respectively).

Roger Federer remembers 2015 Shanghai Masters

While attending the function in Shanghai, Federer sat down for an interview with the ATP Tour. He recalled facing an unexpected early exit from the competition in 2015, leaving many disappointed. But the Swiss maestro was taken aback by the love shown by the Chinese fans at the airport. The fans were singing a song ‘ We hope to see you next year’ while waving goodbye.

“I will never forget when I lost first [match], everybody was super sad from my team, my fans, the tournament. Everybody was like, ‘What a pity you came here all this way lose first round.’ I went straight to the airport and there must have been like 100 people at the airport all waiting for me and singing a song like, ‘We hope to see you next year, we hope to see you again!’ and like tears in their eyes. So I think there’s been a really special connection with the Chinese fans over here.”

This story of 2015 is just one of the many great moments that Roger Federer has enjoyed in China. The 2015 exit showed that Federer’s stardom was not diminished even by his worst failure. In fact, Federer drew positive responses around the time when he was clicked with Michael Jordan.

In the ATP Tour interview, Roger Federer also spoke about having to carry an additional big suitcase with him since fans would gift him items such as special paintings. He also claimed that number of fans queued up at his hotel for several hours on the trot every year just to get an opportunity to show their support and get a glimpse of him.

The Swiss maestro has not only won many titles and a lot of money in China, but more than that, unwavering love of tennis fans. It is fair to say that Federer is the most popular and most loved non-Chinese sportsperson in China.

When Federer beat Nadal in their final ATP clash in 2017

The last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each other in an ATP event final was at the Shanghai Masters 2017. This is another reason the city is significant in Federer’s career. This was the 24th final between the two great rivals and the Swiss star won in the last ever ‘Fedal’ final.

Roger Federer won his sixth trophy of 2017 in the Shanghai Masters final, defeating the then World No.1 Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3. The Shanghai Masters 2017 was also Federer’s last-ever title win in China. After his retirement, Federer is now more likely to conduct training clinics in China as part of his endorsement deal with Uniqlo.