Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup: Road is tough for Federer
The draw is out for The Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, which starts Sunday, and former two-time champion Roger Federer finds himself in one of the toughest round-robin groups in recent Masters Cup history.
Federer has been grouped with defending champion and arch rival David Nalbandian, Ivan Ljubicic, who is arguably the world’s best indoor player behind Federer, and big-serving 2006 US Open finalist Andy Roddick.
The tournament’s eight singles players - who comprise the top eight finishers in the INDESIT ATP 2006 Race - are divided into two round-robin groups The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.
Last year, Argentina’s David Nalbandian came back from a two-set deficit to wrest the crown from Federer, winning in a dramatic fifth-set tie-break. Now Federer gets his crack at revenge, facing his 24-year-old nemesis in the very first match of the event Sunday.
Federer and Nalbandian have a long history, going back to their junior tennis days. Nalbandian had the Swiss’s number as a youngster and also took their first five matches on the ATP circuit.
But Federer, 25, has stormed back to win seven of their last eight tussles, faltering only in the Masters Cup final last year when he was playing his first tournament back from an ankle injury.
The Swiss tennis genius has an impeccable 17-2 record at the Masters Cup, capturing the crown in 2003 (d. Agassi) and 2004 (d. Hewitt). Hewitt and Federer are the only other two-time winners of the Cup, which began in 2000.
Nalbandian isn’t Federer’s only threat in the Red Group. While the World No. 1 has a 10-3 record against Ljubicic, including seven straight victories, some of those matches have been very close.
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Tennis Masters Cup Prediction: So who’s gonna win this thing? Expect a win for Roddick.
