ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters: 4 Players likely to appear in the semi finals
With the curtains being dropped on the Grand Slam quest for the year, the action is scheduled to shift to the hard courts of Shanghai come the 6th of October. In its tenth year of existence, the Shanghai Rolex Masters is the penultimate ATP 1000 Masters event in a calendar year. The last few editions have been shared mostly among the Big Four with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, each winning thrice whilst Roger Federer won twice.
Crowned as the champion in 2017, Federer is undoubtedly a hot favourite for a shot at the title. Along with that, there is also Djokovic who is raring to have a go and clinch his fourth title. Come October, things are bound to look exciting in this part of Asia as the best of the game will assemble to hope to win and make a dash for the year-ending ATP Finals in London later in the year! Here are few of the favourites and most probable names to become the semi-finalists!
#1 Roger Federer
2017 saw the rebirth of a certain man called Roger Federer who evolved like a phoenix to surge back to the top berths of the game. Missing out a major chunk of the 2016 season, Federer scripted a fairytale comeback when he won his 18th Major title at the Australian Open in January 2017 only to follow it up with a Wimbledon win.
Exhibiting a remarkable form and class of play, Federer outplayed his arch-rival Rafael Nadal on several occasions in the previous year to establish his dominance all over again. In the finals of the ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters 2017, he was pitted against the Spaniard who he toppled over with ease to get crowned as the Champion for the second time after 2014.
It goes without saying that the 37-year-old with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name is the clear favourite heading into the event as the defending champion. Given his awe-inspiring display of tennis at the freshly concluded Laver Cup, Federer is the one sure shot semi-finalist to watch out for!