The Shanghai Masters has been around since 2009 and is the eighth ATP Master 1000 tournament of the season. This hard court competition replaced the Hamburg ATP Master 1000 and in its inaugural year, Nikolay Davydenko overcame Rafa Nadal 6-7, 3-6 to become the champion. The Spaniard had eliminated one of his compatriots, Feliciano López, in the semi-final but could not finish off the job against the Russian.
Andy Murray has made the title his own in the last two editions of the Asian tournament, first beating Roger Federer (6-3, 6-2) and then David Ferrer (5-7, 4-6). In doubles, last season’s final, in which Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor took on Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic, still lives fresh in the memory. Llodra and Zimonjic took the first set 3-6, lost the second, and were eventually outdone by a heroic Mirnyi and Nestor in the decisive third set, which finished 12-10 in the French and Serbians’ favour.
