Roger Federer set to return at the Shanghai Masters this year as the ICON athlete

Roger Federer to be back in Shanghai Masters but as an ICON player

Roger Federer set to return at the Shanghai Masters this year as the ICON athlete

Image Credit: Tennis365

Roger Federer is not completely off radar after his retirement, not even from Tennis courts. The 20 Grand Slam title winner is set to make a return to the courts at the Shnghai Master, ATP 1000 event to be held in August. But he will only participate as an ICON athlete. This will be more of a celebratory comeback for the ex-world no. 1. Though Rolex Shanghai Open have not revealed what the plan is with Roger Federer, fans would love to see an exhibition match of the Swiss.

This is the first time since 2019 that the tournament will return to Shanghai after COVID 19 pandemic. It has a slightly modified format for 12 days. The tournament will see the up and coming players from China, Zhang Zhizhen, Wu Yibing and Shang Juncheng. Despite the fact that the tournament will be conducted after three years hiatus, and a string of upcoming talent worth cheering for in China, Roger Federer’s appearance might be the star attraction of the tournament.

YouTube video

Roger Federer has been venturing into various directions post his retirement. He is becoming an investor in various sports and apparel related businesses. One can also see him venturing into the Entertainment industry. He recently co-hosted the Met Gala. He has also recorded a few films for Swiss Tourism in which he comes across as a great actor. Gradually we might see him playing a more important role in tennis and various tournaments.

FS Video

This tournament is an ATP 1000 that has been a part of the ATP calendar since 2009. In the last edition 2019, Danil Medvedev was crowned champion after he defeated Alexander Zverev. Roger Federer won the championship 2 times, the last one being in 2017.

Keep Exploring: I don’t have a goal anymore,” Sara Errani discloses her ‘love’ for tennis is enough to fuel her amid series of setbacks

Roger Federer’s outcome at the Shanghai Open

federer shanghai 2017 wednesday fh atp

Roger Federer has been a recurring face in the Shanghai Open since 2010. He missed the tournament only 3 times since inception 2009, 2011 and 2016. In the other years he saw some success and some failure. He won the tournament 2 times but the first championship being as late as 2014 after he defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon in the final. His 2nd win was in 2017 when he defeated his archrival Rafael Nadal in the final match.

His worst years were 2013 and 2015, the one leading to championship and once defending his title. He crashed out in the third and the second round respectively. In all other editions the Swiss reached atleast the quarter finals. Though Novak Djokovic holds most no. of records for this tournament, ROger Federer holds one that might not be easy to break. He became the oldest champion of the tournament when he won in 2017. He was 36 yrs old when he won the championship. That might be a sticky one to conquer.

In case you missed it: