Follow us on Google Discover Valentin Vacherot stole the headlines at the Shanghai Masters thanks to his stunning victory, but there was also room to celebrate tennis legend Roger Federer.
Federer watched Vacherot win the Shanghai Masters final against Arthur Rinderknech, with the former beating his cousin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Earlier at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, however, Federer took to centre court for an exhibition match.
A two-time Shanghai Masters champion, the veteran teamed up with actor Donnie Yen, playing against actor Wu Lei and former WTA player Zheng Jie.
And perhaps unsurprisingly, Federer was on the winning side, triumphing 5-7, 10-8, 7-1 alongside his partner Yen.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesSam Querrey rates Roger Federer’s tennis level from his Shanghai Masters exhibition match
While it wasn’t a serious event for the Swiss legend, his level has now been analysed by his fellow former player Sam Querrey.
Asked on Tennis Channel how Federer looked on the court in Shanghai, he said: “I like that he went out with the full bag of rackets, and the extra bag with the clothes for an exhibition, this is a real match!
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“He’s messing around, right? He’s not playing with other professionals, but he still looked good, right? The strokes are there, the timing is there, and you can still tell he can do anything he wants.
“But anytime you get to watch Federer put a racket in his hand, it’s enjoyable. Doesn’t matter if he’s playing Rafael Nadal or he’s playing an exhibition like this in Shanghai.”
Sam Querrey says how every fan thinks about potential Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal tour
Federer caused plenty of excitement with his latest appearance at the Shanghai Masters, having also appeared at the event in 2024 and 2023.
Last year, he took to the court with singer and actor Eason Chan against ATP Tour player Zhang Zhizhen and table tennis star Fan Zhendong.
But many tennis fans have been more focused on a potential Senior’s Tour involving the Swiss legend and his former rival Rafael Nadal.
The ‘Fedal’ tour has potential, with Querrey having now been asked if he likes the idea, to which he replied: “Am I in? Get me tickets to all of it! Who doesn’t want to watch that?”
And when it was suggested that he could perhaps play, he said: “I can’t, no, get me out of that, no. People don’t want to watch me. They want to watch Federer and Nadal.”
The launching of a Fedal tour would be a huge moment for all tennis fans, with the two players undoubtedly still massively missed on the ATP Tour.
And judging by Federer’s efforts in Shanghai and the fact that Nadal only just retired late last year, the quality can be expected to be very high indeed.