WATCH: Roger Federer's presence makes Tomas Machac hilariously ask crowd for attention during Shanghai Masters SF against Jannik Sinner
World No. 33 Tomas Machac hilariously asked the crowd for attention, spurred by Roger Federer's presence in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters. Federer entered the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena for an exhibition doubles match on Friday and took some time out to attend the semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Tomas Machac on Saturday, October 12.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion partnered alongside Hong Kong actor Eason Chang as they took on Zhang Zhizhen and table tennis world champion Fan Zhendong in an entertaining doubles encounter. The duo managed to get the win against Team Amazing in front of a sellout crowd in the Shanghai Masters.
Federer made his presence felt again during Tomas Machac's semifinal bout against Jannik Sinner on Saturday. Machac indulged in a humorous interaction with the audience as they continuously showed their obsession for Federer during their match.
Here is the video highlighting the interaction:
Roger Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022 and has since been spotted at various sporting events around the globe. He also bumped into Novak Djokovic in the locker room arena after the latter's quarterfinal match against Jakub Mensik.
Here is the interaction between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
"Hey, old man," Roger Federer said in a lighthearted manner
Djokovic outfoxed Mensik in a grueling three-set bout and is now two wins away from claiming his fifth title in the Shanghai Masters. He will face Taylor Fritz in the semifinals on Saturday and has already defeated the American once this year in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The winner between Djokovic and Fritz will take on Jannik Sinner in the finals.
Roger Federer is a two-time champion in the Shanghai Masters
Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has participated in the Shanghai Masters eight times in his career. He's chalked up 23 wins from 29 matches, including title-winning runs in 2014 and 2017.
The Swiss Maestro outclassed Giles Simon to lift his first title in 2014 and then edged past Rafael Nadal to capture his second in 2017. He also reached the finals in 2010, but couldn't make his mark against Andy Murray in a close encounter.
Federer made his last appearance in the Shanghai Masters in 2019, where he reached the quarterfinals. After solid wins over Albert Ramos and David Goffin in the first few rounds, he was eliminated by Alexander Zverev in the last eight.