Roger Federer To Play In Exhibition Match At Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer will be back on the tennis courts this year, playing in an exhibition match at the Shanghai Masters.

It's been more than four years since Federer last played a professional singles match. It happened at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, with the Swiss Maestro losing his last-ever professional singles tennis set 0-6 to Hubert Hurkacz.

One year after that, Federer appeared on the tennis court one last time in what could be considered a professional match, even though it was at an exhibition. The Laver Cup is still considered an exhibition tournament, since there are no points awarded to the players competing, even though it's officially recognized by the ATP and has its spot in the calendar.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion retired alongside his former rival, Rafael Nadal, losing in a doubles match to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Now, Federer will appear on the doubles court again, but this time, in a much less competitive environment.

The 44-year-old Swiss player is set to host an exhibition evening in Shanghai. On October 10th, Federer will be part of the "Roger & Friends Celebrity Doubles Match" at the Qizhong Tennis Center, where the Shanghai Masters takes place.

On the court, Federer will be joined by actor and filmmaker Donnie Yen, another actor, Wu Lei, and former Chinese WTA player Zheng Jie. The Swiss Maestro announced the exhibition match through the event's social media profiles.

Federer is one of the most successful players in the history of the Shanghai Masters. He won two titles in Shanghai, first in 2014, beating Gilles Simon in the final, and second in 2017, outplaying Rafael Nadal.

Only two players have managed to win more titles than Federer in Shanghai. Andy Murray won three times, lifting the trophy in 2010, 2011, and 2016. Novak Djokovic is the most successful man in the event's history, winning four titles in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018.

Federer, however, still holds the record for the oldest champion of the event. He was 36 years, 2 months, and 7 days old when he won his second title in Shanghai in 2017. There are a few legends of the game who could beat his record this year.

Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka, Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Novak Djokovic are all older than that, but it remains to be seen how many of them will even compete at the tournament, given their current ranking and injury struggles.