Roger Federer: "I heard Carlos Alcaraz was staying in my locker room this year, but as he’s not around anymore, I'm happy to have it again" 

Tennis legend Roger Federer hilariously shared how he got his locker room back from former World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz during his visit to the ongoing Shanghai Masters.

Federer, who retired from tennis in 2022, was honored on Friday (October 13) at the ATP 1000 Tournament in China with the Icon Athlete Award. The event also featured Chinese tennis legend Li Na and the country's No. 1 player, Zhang Zhizhen.

After that, the 20-time Grand Slam champion went on a tour of the stadium, recalling memories from his playing days and meeting with next-generation players, including Andrey Rublev.

During his visit to his old locker room, the former World No. 1 disclosed that Carlos Alcaraz had been using it for this year's edition, but he is 'happy' to have it back since the Spaniard is no longer in the competition.

"So here we're heading down the tunnel of all the locker rooms. I heard that Alcaraz was staying in my locker room this year. But, as he is not around anymore, I got it back, so I am sorry for him. But I am happy to have my own locker room again," Federer said.

Alcaraz entered the Shanghai Masters on the back of a disappointing semifinal loss at the China Open. However, he got off to a great start by overcoming Gregoire Barrere and Dan Evans in straight sets, but could not beat a resilient Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.

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Roger Federer recalls Shanghai Masters 2017 title clash with Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer pictured at the 2023 Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met in the finals of the 2017 Shanghai Masters. As one might expect, both veterans gave it their best, but it was the Swiss who eventually won with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3.

Federer recalled the encounter during the ceremony at the year's penultimate Masters 1000 tournament. He described how he had a 'fantastic' finish to the tournament after his match against arch-rival Nadal in a year when he made a comeback after grappling with knee issues.

"I thought I played extremely well in that match. I felt like Rafa was a little bit banged up with his knees and maybe a bit tired, but I played a fantastic tournament in a fantastic year in 2017 when I came back with my knee problems," he said.

The Swiss also said:

"It was an absolute dream year and I believe it was the last time I won the Rolex Shanghai Masters. So of course, forever special and it was a terrific week and I love it, you know, the battles I have with Rafa and happy that I won that finals here that year."

Aside from his title in 2017, the 42-year-old also won the tournament in 2014, defeating Gilles Simon, 7-6(6), 7-6(2), in the championship match to lift the trophy in the Asian country.