Roger Federer recently visited Shanghai and attended the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 20-time Major winner was roped in by the ATP Masters 1000 event to feature in a friendly match, and he made the most of his time in the city by exploring it.
The former World No. 1 also gave an all-smiles pose with Ben Shelton, who is sponsored by On Running, the Swiss sportswear juggernaut backed by Federer.
Federer bid his farewell to tennis in 2022, and the Shanghai Masters is a tournament which the Swiss won twice (2014, and 2017). The 43-year-old also finished the Asian event as the runner-up in 2010.
The Swiss made his way to Shanghai for the recently-concluded 2024 edition of the famed city's very own ATP Masters 1000 event. He was also among the high-profile attendees of the final between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, where the latter emerged victorious.
Later, Roger Federer took to Instagram to share the highlights from his memorable 2024 Shanghai trip, with one of the images featuring him and Ben Shelton enjoying the city's nightlife. The other moments shared by the Swiss included him riding a bicycle, playing doubles alongside home favorite Zhang Zhizhen and posing with the Shanghai Masters ballkids.
"Bye bye, Shanghai! Thanks for another great visit," he wrote in the caption.
Federer also shared a heartwarming moment with Djokovic and Sinner. Both the Serbian and the Italian lauded the Swiss over his presence in their high-profile encounter.
"It's nice to see Roger Federer" - Novak Djokovic after Shanghai Masters 2024 final loss to Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic lost 6-7(4), 3-6 to Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters. The 24-time Major winner was in great form coming into the final, but simply didn't have enough in him to trouble the present-day World No. 1 Sinner.
During his post-match speech, Djokovic acknowledged Roger Federer's presence and admitted that the Swiss' presence made things more difficult for him.
"Also, it's nice to see Roger (Federer). We're not used to seeing you in the stands. I wish you were on the court playing with us. But it's probably the first time that I'm playing in front of you so I had an added pressure today," Djokovic said.
Djokovic and Federer previously met behind the scenes in Shanghai, with the Swiss having referred to the Serb as an 'old man'.
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