Roger Federer will be present at the 2023 Shanghai Masters in October as a special guest to elevate the occasion of tennis returning to the country.
The event will return with an elongated 12-day format similar to the way the Madrid Open and the Italian Open have been expanded. The event will take its place in the calendar from October 4th till October 15th and it will feature the presence of Roger Federer.
The Swiss legend will be honoured at the event for all the contributions to tennis over the course of his legendary career that officially ended last year when he retired at the Laver Cup event in London. He will be named Icon Athlete of the Shanghai Masters having won it twice in his career.
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 Juss Event and tournament organisers. I am happy to keep the story going and I look forward to seeing everyone in October.
It will be the first time tennis returns to China since the start of the pandemic as China had very strict rules in place to combat the Coronavirus. It was only recently that the country lifted all of those restrictions that were in place for months allowing such a huge event to take place.
There was also the Peng Shuai controversy which created questions about whether tennis would return to the country until the situation resolves. The ultimate decision by both the ATP and the WTA is the return of tennis to the country despite the situation with Peng Shuai still not being resolved to the standard both Tours demanded initially.
The ATP Tour’s return to China in 2023 is a significant moment for tennis. We’re thrilled to mark it with our flagship Asian tournament, the Rolex Shanghai Masters, expanding into a 12-day event. This promises even more incredible action between the best players in the world. We’re excited to reconnect with our Chinese fans this season and to continue building on our sport’s success in the region.
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