Roger Federer Wins Comeback Match At Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer’s tennis return in an exhibition match at the Shanghai Masters ended on a winning note in front of a packed crowd at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

For the second year in a row, Federer was back in one of his favorite cities in China to play a Celebrity doubles match alongside filmmaker Donnie Yen, actor Wu Lei, and former WTA player Zheng Jie.

Federer’s comeback was announced in advance back in August, and the Swiss legend honored that obligation on Friday when he took to the court. The 20-time Grand Slam champion teamed up with Yen and the pair won 5-7, 10-8, 7-1, in a match featuring three tie-breaks.

Last year, Federer was also part of a doubles match in Shanghai where he joined forces with Chinese singer and actor Eason Chan to face the ATP Tour’s Zhang Zhizhen and table tennis champion Fan Zhendong. Overall, Federer had a fantastic record in this Masters 1000 tournament. He posted a 23-6 record in Shanghai and lifted two titles (in 2014 and 2017) and made his eighth and last appearance in 2019.

Although Federer officially retired from professional tennis after the 2022 Laver Cup, he remains a busy fixture in the sport and wants to play in more exhibition matches in the near future. The 44-year-old, whose net worth recently surpassed the $1 billion mark, owns a 3% stake in Swiss sportswear company On, which he has helped penetrate the tennis market.

Federer is both an investor and a designer at On and helps with the product development of signature tennis shoes. His presence has allowed On to acquire some prominent tennis names such as Iga Swiatek, Ben Shelton, and Brazilian wunderkind Joao Fonseca. Recently, there was insider information reported on why Federer left Nike Tennis and switched to On.