(Video) Roger Federer gets rousing reception ahead of exhibition event at Shanghai Masters

Fans greeted Roger Federer with a thunderous applause as he walked onto the court for an exhibition event at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

(Video) Roger Federer gets rousing reception ahead of exhibition event at Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer got a rousing reception (via Imago, Twitter/Shanghai Masters)

Roger Federer retired from the sport in 2022, playing in his last match at the Laver Cup that year. Since his retirement, however, he has stayed in the news, either through his business ventures or by visiting various events around the world to catch some tennis action from the stands.

During his career, Federer won the Shanghai title twice and took part in the event eight times. He holds an impressive 23-6 win-loss record there and has over $3 million in prize money. This year marks the 10th anniversary of his first Shanghai Masters title and he has been in the Chinese city to celebrate that as well as take part in a celebrity exhibition doubles event.

Last year, Federer was honored in Shanghai with an on-court ceremony and was also presented with the Icon Athlete Award. This year, he is taking part in a celebrity doubles match alongside some big stars.

The lineup includes men’s table tennis Olympic gold medalist Fan Zhendong, two-time Olympic table tennis champion Wang Liqin, China’s top-ranked male tennis player Zhang Zhizhen, and Hong Kong pop music icon Eason Chan.

As has been the case around the world, when Federer’s name was announced in the stadium, the fans cheered loudly while he walked in with a big smile and several waves. Here’s a video of the same:

The last time Federer took part in the Shanghai Masters was in 2019. He reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Alexander Zverev.

Roger Federer spends time with budding tennis players in Shanghai

Besides his usual commitments, Roger Federer also spent a day interacting with young tennis enthusiasts in Shanghai. The event, which was organized by On Running, saw the Swiss maestro share his expertise and even play a few rallies with them.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer (Via Imago)

The event was organized to give young players from Yunnan the opportunity to meet and interact with one of the finest players to have graced the sport. On Running later shared a few images from the session on social media.

Incidentally, Roger Federer is an investor in On Running, the Zurich-based company founded in 2010 by professional ironman athlete Olivier Bernhard and two of his friends. The shoe and performance sportswear company has even launched a special line of shoes called ‘The Roger,’ inspired by the 20-time Grand Slam champion.