Shanghai witnesses blockbuster day of tennis
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 10, 2013
Tennis fans at the Shanghai Rolex Masters were treated to a blockbuster day on Wednesday when world's top players packed the courts for a full day matches.
Among the players was top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic, who claimed his third victory against Marcel Granollers of Spain, posting a 6-2, 6-0 win. Djokovic, who won a Beijing title last week, will be in fine form, taking on Fabio Fognini in the next match.
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Roger Federer returned a shot to Andreas Seppi in the second round of Shanghai Masters. |
Djokovic suffered from a right foot injury, but he said he was fine after visibly suffering pain in the second set.
"It was just an awkward movement. I was in an off balance position. I was running and I made a quick movement that caused a sharp pain at that moment," he said, "but after the match we determined that it's nothing serious, so it's all fine."
Rafael Nadal, who just returned to the ATP top ranking, started his journey for a Shanghai Rolex Masters title by securing a 6-3, 6-2 second round win over Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine in one hour. This is Nadal's first visit to Shanghai in two years.
"The court is fast, faster than the previous years. I like the ball much better than last week. I think I played a good match. I won against Dolgopolov because I did a lot of things well," Nadal said.
Nadal unexpectedly appeared in the audience at Roger Federer's match, causing a frenzy. But Nadal said he watched the match just "because I arrived here early. I had already practiced. I didn't know what to do. I went to the court because I always enjoy watching a player like Roger. It is something special. "
Fifth-seeded Roger Federer, always a favorite among the Shanghai Rolex Masters fans, scored a 6-4, 6-3 win over Andreas Seppi of Italy in another second round match while third-seeded David Ferrer defeated Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 to set up an match with Florian Mayer in the next round.
"After I was up a set and a break, I really started to feel comfortable," Federer said.
"I still have 20 years more left to tour, so I believe the best [for me] is yet to come."
"I've had a great career so far," he added, smiling at the post-match press conference, "Right now I'm very focused on playing in the moment, finishing strong, and preparing for next year. It's been a more difficult season than other years. This year it wasn't just running from one tournament victory to another. I had to digest a couple of tough losses, some injuries. But I'm still playing. I didn't miss much."
The Shanghai Rolex Masters is being held from October 6 - 13, 2013 at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center, Shanghai.
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