Shanghai yes, Shanghai no. That was the conundrum Roger was facing during the last few weeks.
After coming out with his “I need a vacation” statement many were thinking he was laying the foundations not to play in Shanghai. According to Swiss journalist Rene Stauffer Roger was still undecided till last week.
Not playing in Shanghai would have been a disaster fo 2 reasons. First Roger would have not reached the 300 weeks mark as world no.1 (and Roger is so fond of records…). Second he would have tarnished his relationship with the Chinese tennis community as he did not play already in 2009 and 2011 (in 2010 he lost to Murray in the final). So… it was time to make a move.
So Roger just announced on Facebook
“Looking forward to going back to China and playing in the Shanghai Rolex Masters. I have always enjoyed China and I can’t wait to see my great chinese fans again. See you soon!
Thia is good news for Roger and for tennis, but …. do not expect a strong Federer in Shanghai… unless it will surprise us once again!
Good news!
