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Federer edges closer to Nadal in race to No. 1 with win at Shanghai Masters 1000 final

By Veronica Elizabeth Bruno

SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland with Rafael Nadal of Spain pose with their trophy after the Men's singles final mach on day eight of 2017 ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters at Qizhong Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland with Rafael Nadal of Spain pose with their trophy after the Men's singles final mach on day eight of 2017 ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters at Qizhong Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /
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For the fifth consecutive time—and fourth time this year—Roger Federer has defeated his great rival Rafael Nadal at the Shanghai Masters 1000 Open in a clinical one hour, 27 minutes. Federer also closes in on two more records and edges nearer to overtaking the No. 1 ranking from Rafa.

Tennis fans were denied an epic Federer-Nadal matchup at the U.S. Open (where they have never faced each other!), but Shanghai got the hardcourt final of the tournament’s history, with the two greats making it to the final.

Coming off of two tough semifinal matches — Roger against Juan Martin del Potro, and Nadal squeaking by Marin Cilic — both players were a bit beat up going into the final match. With Rafa’s recent win at the China Open last week, he looked sharper than the two going into Shanghai.

Considering his dominant run at the U.S. Open, it seemed the momentum was with the Spaniard.

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All that ended with the first game, with the Swiss Maestro taking the first set with a break. He surged ahead, with an efficient win, taking the title 6-4, 6-3. The 19-time grand-slam champion skipped the China Open after partnering up with Rafa at the Laver Cup.

The Swiss also started out slow at Shanghai and there was talk that maybe he hadn’t recovered 100 percent from the back issues that plagued him at the Roger’s Cup and the US Open. Playing opposite each other this time, the momentum was with the world No. 2, who dictated play from the very start.

The fast courts benefited Fed, whose game excels on this type of court. He also has a winning record playing indoors on the surface. The indoor fast courts allowed the Swiss to display his masterclass game.

He now edges closer to the once-lopsided head-to-head with the world No. 1. As of 2015, their head-to-head stayed at 23-10, but with the five wins in a row since then, Federer now stands at 15 wins to Nadal’s 23. He also increases his slight edge on hard courts, now 11-9.

What’s made all the difference to get over his Nadal mental handicap?

"“Not playing so much on clay!” said Federer after the match. “That’s helpful, to avoid the entire clay court season. With the bigger racket head sizes, I’m not slicing as much. I’m staying on the baseline, dictating points. My head’s screwed on the right way as I haven’t had to get it round any losses on clay too.”"

But can he get to No. 1? He’s increased his chances, with just 1,970 points behind (compared to 2,370 before the Shanghai win), but it’s still very much a long shot. He will need to win pretty much every tournament he’s scheduled for to really have a guaranteed chance.

Nadal may have lost on Sunday, but he’s still playing excellent tennis and is likely to do well in the tournaments in Basel, Paris (Masters), and the ATP World Tour. Nadal has never won any of the upcoming tournaments, however, whereas Fed’s won Basel seven times, Paris Masters only once, but the ATP World Tour finals a record six times.

"“I’m not thinking about [the #1 ranking],” Federer said after the Shanghai final. “I just try to be healthy now. I’ll go back to Switzerland tomorrow with my team and decide what I’m going to play, whether I’ll go to Basel and Paris. I’m focused on London and winning there. If I play like this, maybe, who knows I’ll get close to it [the No 1 spot].”“I want to congratulate Roger for a great year,” said Nadal during the trophy presentation. “Today you played a fantastic match. This year for him has been my most successful year in China. It’s been a great two weeks, I feel very happy for what has happened for me.”"

Nadal has made it clear that winning the ATP World Tour title for the first time is a big priority for him. The tournament carries a lot of points, almost as much as a grand slam, with 1,500 to the winner, and it may come down to this final event of the tennis calendar in determining who will end up No. 1 between these two great legends.

As usual, when the two play, there are also records on the line. Federer has now tied Ivan Lendl with 94 ATP titles, second only to Jimmy Connors, who holds 109. Nadal remains the Masters 1000 title lead—a  stat he shares with Novak Djokovic at 30 titles—but Fed has done some work here to edge closer at 27 wins.

The race to No. 1 is continuing to be a fascinating dash for the two icons in sport. Seeing the two continue their rivalry during a usual lull in the season is breathing fire into the end of the tennis year.

Next: Each State's Sports Mt Rushmore

Up next for the two is the Swiss Indoors Basel.

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