Shanghai Masters: Players with the most titles
The Shanghai Masters is all set to begin on the 6th of October. It is a fairly recent addition to the Masters' circuit, with this year's edition being the 10th. Surprisingly there have been only 4 winners across the 9 years of its existence.
Today, we have a look at the players with most titles in the tournament.
#4 Nikolay Davydenko - 1 title
How many of us remember Nikolay Davydenko for his tennis? The Russian had a career-high ranking of 3 but could never perform consistently. In 2007 he was investigated for retiring injured from a match. He was declared innocent but that marred his tennis career for a while.
In 2009, Davydenko had a fairytale run that saw him winning the ATP World Tour Finals. It was during this run that he cut the ribbon for the Shanghai Masters in a great way. One of the highlights of the tournament was Davydenko's victory over Novak Djokovic.
In the semifinals, after being a set down he roared back to grind the Serb out of the tournament. Another top moment, maybe one of the best for the retired veteran in his career came in the final. Nikolay Davydenko held his nerve to beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets, winning the match and championship 7-6 6-3.
#3 Roger Federer - 2 titles
Roger Federer has played in the Shanghai Masters 6 times, reaching the finals thrice. He won the 2014 and 2017 editions of the tournament. The 2014 victory would've meant a lot for him as he didn't have the greatest year, ranking wise. The value of the win was so much more because Federer could avenge his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic.
The Serb was a 2 time defending champion in Shanghai at that time. But, Federer was having none of that as he put up a clinic in the semis to oust the then World No. 2, 6-4 6-4. He then won a close final against Gilles Simon 7-6(8/6) 7-6(7/2).
The 2017 tournament victory too would've given Roger a sense of satisfaction. After being ruled out from playing earlier that year he had come back to win Wimbledon. Federer was ranked no.2 and needed to have a good outing in the Shanghai Masters to catch up with Nadal.
He played an excellent semifinal encounter against del Potro, winning it 3-6 6-3 6-3 to set up a final with Rafa. Roger Federer did not face the same pressure in the final as he blew past the Spaniard 6-4 6-3.