Roger Federer still knows how to draw a crowd.
Playing with Chinese legend Li Na in an exhibition Friday night against Marat Safin and his sister Dinara Safina, the Swiss legend packed Qi Zhong Stadium for a night of action and laughter.
The two-time Rolex Shanghai Masters champion gave fans what they came for with a feisty performance on top of the net as he and Li rallied from behind to claim a 10-6 win.
The players then repaired with Federer and fellow former World No. 1 Safin took on Li and Safina. At one point as he was iced out of a cross-court baseline exchange between Safin and Li, Federer sat down on the court in mock protest, much to the delight of fans. Safina and Li took the honours.
But the night was less about who won and lost and more about rolling back the years for appreciative fans who came for an encore performance from the popular stars.
"It was really fun to be on the same side of the net as my brother from another mother," Federer said of playing with Safin. "I really enjoyed it and I hope everyone did too."
The night kicked off with a one-point challenge, in which former player and national coach Wu Di got the better of Federer when the 20-time Grand Slam champion overcooked a forehand long. But the joy was short-lived for Wu, who lost the final to former doubles World No. 1 Paul Haarhuis.
Prominent Chinese fashion models Qu Ying and Jin Dachuan also were on court.
Jonathon Armstrong and Adam Sultan flew in from Bali.
Jonathan Armstrong and Adam Sultan journeyed from Bali, Indonesia, to be part of the fun.
“We’re only here for one day. We came just to watch Roger,” said Armstrong. “We both got into tennis two years ago and Roger was the reason for that. Now that he’s retired we didn’t know if we’d ever be able to see him actively playing again.
“Adam’s never been to Shanghai and it’s his birthday next week, so I got this trip so we could watch Roger together.”
Sisters Coco Yu and Rita Yu journeyed from Guangzhou.
Coco Yu, who has attended several editions of the Rolex Shanghai Masters in past years, travelled from Guangzhou with her sister Rita to watch Federer.
“His tennis is so beautiful," Coco said. "The backhand is like ballet. And he's a really good person on the court and off the court. When he was playing I would come as many years as possible to watch him.”
