Shanghai Masters

By Lucy Evans, 20th Aug 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/2h6dl3g0/
Posted in Wikinut>News>Sport

Shanghai Masters

The Shanghai Masters, known for sponsorship reasons as the Shanghai Rolex Masters, is one of the biggest events on the ATP calendar. Since its inaugural year in 2009 the Shanghai Masters has been one of the most popular and exciting events in world tennis, with fans from all over the world visiting or tuning in to watch the tournament unfold.

The origins of the Shanghai Rolex Masters go back to 2002, when Shanghai hosted the Tennis Masters Cup for five successive years. The competition proved to be popular, as did the location. As a result, the ATP World Tour and Shanghai settled upon a deal which allowed Shanghai to host the only ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event outside of Europe and North America.

As a Masters 1000 event the Shanghai Masters has captivated huge audiences and proven to be a hit with competitors too. In its first three years the Shanghai Masters was voted as the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year by the players.

The Shanghai Qi Zhong Tennis Centre, located in Maqiao Town, Min Hang District, Shanghai, has provided the setting for the tournament since 2009. The venue boasts a 15,000-seater main stadium and the recently added Grand Stand Court 2, which seats 5,000. There are currently 25 courts on location, making the facility more than capable of handling a tournament of this size.

Andy Murray won back-to-back titles here in 2010 and 2011, though the first edition of the Shanghai Masters was won by Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko. A number of other big names have been in attendance here, including former finalist Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish.

This year’s event could be a thriller. Murray will be returning in search of a hat-trick, but he’ll have a fight on his hands. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be bidding for glory as their battle for the top spot in the rankings rages on. We may also see Nadal return provided that he recovers quickly from his knee injury.

For the latest tennis news, tips and matches visit Shanghai-Masters-Live.com

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