Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer will be named the Icon Athlete of the Shanghai Masters during an on-court ceremony on Friday, before the start of the second quarterfinal of the day.
This year, the Shanghai Masters (the penultimate ATP 1000) returned to the tennis calendar for the first time since 2019 with an expanded draw size of up to 96 singles players in addition to stretching main draw action over a span of 12 days.
Federer, who retired from professional tennis in 2022, has been to Shanghai on eight occasions during his playing career, winning the title on two occasions (2014 and 2017). His last visit was in 2019 when he played in a memorable quarterfinal defeat against Alexander Zverev.
The tournament has decided to honor the 20-time Grand Slam champion for his contribution to tennis with a first-ever Icon Athlete. The Shanghai Masters director Michael A. Luevano described the 42-year-old as "a player who has gone above and beyond a normal sportsman to a city".
Federer will be presented with the award on Friday during the night session before the fourth and last quarterfinal gets underway. Luevano also revealed that the fans will have the chance to interact with the Swiss Maestro who will be on hand to sign autographs for those lucky enough to get close to the front row seats.
In a statement on the tournament website, Federer was ecstatic to be receiving this distinction. Even though he hung up his racket, the Basel native has been to four countries in the past month. He'll be in Shanghai, just a few days after spending some quality time with his family in Japan.
"I'm very excited to be named Rolex Shanghai Masters Icon Athlete for 2023. I remember coming to Shanghai for the first time for the opening of the stadium and I have been close friends with the tournament organisers ever since. I am happy to keep the story going and I look forward to seeing everyone in October."
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