Shanghai Masters: Players with the most titles

The Shanghai Masters is all set to begin on the 6th of October. It is a fairly recent addition to the Masters' circuit, with this year's edition being the 10th. Surprisingly there have been only 4 winners across the 9 years of its existence.

Today, we have a look at the players with most titles in the tournament.

#4 Nikolay Davydenko - 1 title

How many of us remember Nikolay Davydenko for his tennis? The Russian had a career-high ranking of 3 but could never perform consistently. In 2007 he was investigated for retiring injured from a match. He was declared innocent but that marred his tennis career for a while.

In 2009, Davydenko had a fairytale run that saw him winning the ATP World Tour Finals. It was during this run that he cut the ribbon for the Shanghai Masters in a great way. One of the highlights of the tournament was Davydenko's victory over Novak Djokovic.

In the semifinals, after being a set down he roared back to grind the Serb out of the tournament. Another top moment, maybe one of the best for the retired veteran in his career came in the final. Nikolay Davydenko held his nerve to beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets, winning the match and championship 7-6 6-3.

2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 - Day 8

#3 Roger Federer - 2 titles

2017 ATP 1000 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Day 8

Roger Federer has played in the Shanghai Masters 6 times, reaching the finals thrice. He won the 2014 and 2017 editions of the tournament. The 2014 victory would've meant a lot for him as he didn't have the greatest year, ranking wise. The value of the win was so much more because Federer could avenge his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic.

The Serb was a 2 time defending champion in Shanghai at that time. But, Federer was having none of that as he put up a clinic in the semis to oust the then World No. 2, 6-4 6-4. He then won a close final against Gilles Simon 7-6(8/6) 7-6(7/2).

The 2017 tournament victory too would've given Roger a sense of satisfaction. After being ruled out from playing earlier that year he had come back to win Wimbledon. Federer was ranked no.2 and needed to have a good outing in the Shanghai Masters to catch up with Nadal.

He played an excellent semifinal encounter against del Potro, winning it 3-6 6-3 6-3 to set up a final with Rafa. Roger Federer did not face the same pressure in the final as he blew past the Spaniard 6-4 6-3.

#2 Andy Murray, 3 titles

ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters 2016 - Day 8

Andy Murray's record in 6 appearances at Shanghai is fairly good. Apart from a Round of 16 exit, he has reached the semis every time. He's got 3 titles in 4 finals at the tournament, winning 2 in a row in 2010 and 2011.

The second year of the Shanghai Masters was a great one for Murray. Without a Grand Slam title yet, he was improving his rankings through the ATP events. The Scotsman played to the best of his ability throughout the tournament to reach the final.

Facing Federer in the finale, Andy Murray dominated to win 6-3 6-2. The 2011 edition wasn't too different as he breezed through to the final and beat Ferrer 7-5 6-4. He then couldn't win even a single title in his next 4 appearances.

The drought finally ended in 2016. Andy Murray, who was playing at a good level, reached the final without much hindrance. He managed to get past Bautista Agut 7-6 6-1 to win the title.

#1 Novak Djokovic - 3 titles

2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Day 8 (Final)

The Shanghai Masters has treated Djokovic very well. He has played there 7 times, reaching the Semi Final in each occasion. The former world no.1 has won all the 3 finals he has been part of at Shanghai. Like Murray, he too won 2 titles in a row (2012 & 2013).

Ironically, it was Andy Murray who was the runner-up in Djokovic's first Shanghai Masters final in 2012. Having lost the US Open final against the Brit earlier that year, Novak found the perfect response. He had come into the final after a decent run throughout. In the final the Serb showed immense grit to win 5-7 7-6 6-3.

In 2013 too he won the final in 3 sets. Having won a 3-set match already in the quarters of that edition, Djokovic pipped del Potro to the title by winning 6-1 3-6 7-6.

After losing the semifinal of the Shanghai event in 2014 Djokovic came back to win a year later. He was in imperious form throughout the tournament and destroyed Murray 6-1 6-3 to reach the finals.

Novak Djokovic won his 3rd Shanghai Masters title by defeating Tsonga 6-2 6-4.