Roger Federer will play at the Shanghai Masters this week. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will play his first tournament since the Laver Cup. He will be back in singles action in China with the aim of winning his third title in Shanghai. The 38-year-old has, however, been handed a tough draw and will have to beat some quality opposition.
When Federer won the title in Shanghai
Federer won the 2014 and the 2017 editions of the Shanghai Masters. He will be making his eighth appearance at the tournament. The former world number one will have a difficult path to the final. He will face either Marin Cilic in the second round and Zverev as early as in the 4th round.
Federer vs. Cilic – previous H2H matches
Federer has faced Cilic ten times in his career. He boasts a 9-1 record against the 31-year-old. His only loss was in the semifinals of the US Open in 2014. If he makes it past the fourth round he will potentially face David Goffin in the third round. A victory over the Belgian could set up a quarterfinal clash between either Alexander Zverev or Borna Coric.
While acknowledging the difficulty of the draw, Federer said he is still confident he can finish the season strongly. “The draw is tough here. It also depends on your opponents a little bit. But I feel like I have good energy left in the tank to go and finish strong.” Federer has also praised the fans in Shanghai who have shown up to his training sessions in large numbers. “The fans get together and really make a conscious effort to show me how excited and happy they are. It means a lot to me.” He has said he is happy to embrace his role as a role model for the fans. The 38-year old said he hoped he could inspire the new generation of players to take up the role.
Federer vs. Zverev – previous H2H matches and tour in Latin America
A potential quarterfinal clash with Zverev would be a huge draw for fans. The two have played each other six times, and have each won three times. They will play some exhibition matches in Latin America in November. The matches will be in Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. Zverev signed to Federer’s management group Team 8 this year. They were also teammates at the Laver Cup for Team Europe. The German reached the semifinals of the China Open this past week but lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, the Swiss played his last match on the 3rd of September when he surrendered to Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-2 in the quarter in U.S. Open.
This year Roger has a 43-7 win-loss record. Federer has won 3 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami and in Halle. Roger was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.
Marin Cilic’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.30, Marin played his last match on the 3rd of October when he lost to Hyeon Chung 6-4 3-6 6-1 in the 2nd round in Tokyo.
Roger Federer and Marin Cilic played each other 10 times. The head to head is 9-1 for Federer.
The last time that they locked horns, Roger Federer won 6-2 6-75 6-3 3-6 6-1 in the final in Australian Open in January 2018.
Roger Federer and Marin Cilic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
