Sometimes it’s the small touches that make all the difference.
The Rolex Shanghai Masters has a long history of mounting a charm offensive to make all of its players feel welcome. It’s a core value that begins early and comes straight from the top.
Despite a 50km distance between Shanghai’s two international airports — Pudong and Hongqiao — Tournament Director Michael Lueveno regularly makes the commute to greet arriving players and personally hand them a Red Bull welcome gift, whether they be qualifiers or the top seed.
The mission is to leave players with a great first impression of the city and the tournament.
“It’s non-preferential. I’ll go to make sure everyone feels welcomed,” Lueveno said.
Case in point is Valentin Vacherot, whom Lueveno greeted last year despite the Monegasque being on the alternate list for qualifying.
“At the time I really didn’t know him and almost missed him at the airport because he looked more like a student than a professional tennis player,” Lueveno joked. “He wasn’t even in the qualifying draw and then he goes on to win the tournament, which launched his career.
“There are times when the players are in shock. They’ll say ‘Why are you here? Are you waiting for somebody?’ And I’ll say, ‘No, I’m here to see you.’
“It reflects our high standards and long commitment to delivering a personal touch to players.”
Rafael Jodar is making his first appearance at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The personal welcome is a Shanghai tradition that even pre-dates the creation of the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2009. It started when the city hosted its first Tennis Masters Cup (now the Nitto ATP Finals) in a temporary venue in 2002 and ramped up during the Tennis Masters Cup's four-year residency at the newly built Qi Zhong Tennis Centre from 2005-08.
In 2026 the Rolex Shanghai Masters will host 15 players competing at the event for the first time, including Rafael Jodar, Ignacio Buse and Martin Landaluce, who all received the Tournament Director’s personal greeting.
Returning players also deeply value the gesture.
“Michael’s been greeting me at arrivals pretty much since I started coming here,” said Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. “It shows the class of the tournament, which is known for excellence of service. We really feel that as players.”
“It’s a small gesture but definitely a nice touch and it shows that he cares,” said American Marcos Giron. “He wants what's best for the players and he wants us to have a great tournament.”
“He may not understand just how important it is for him to show up and greet the players at the airport,” said Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the semi-finals in 2019. “I’ve always loved how involved and caring for the players he is.
“As a tournament director you might feel that this is something that could be handled by others, but I deeply appreciate that he’s there to make sure we have a good arrival to Shanghai.”
Red Bull is providing the welcome gift for the fourth consecutive year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Rolex Shanghai Masters semi-finals in 2019.
