Roger Federer wins Shanghai Masters title, closing on number one return

Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer finally won the elusive Shanghai Masters title on Sunday after a 7-6, 7-6 victory over Frenchman Gilles Simon. This is Federer’s 23rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

The victory also guaranteed Federer’s return to world number two in the world rankings on Monday and after defeating two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, the Swiss has a chance to end the season as world number one.

This is Federer’s second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season after winning Cincinnati a few months ago. The all-time leader in Masters 1000 haul is Rafael Nadal with 27.

“It makes me very happy winning here because this tournament means a lot to me,” said Federer. “I’ve always enjoyed coming here. I’ve come close a couple of times, but I’ve always wanted to win it as a Masters 1000.

“I feel unbelievable prestige to win this event. Especially putting my hands on the trophy for the first time is a good feeling, I must say. I’m very happy with the way I’m playing. Overall I’m just extremely happy right now.”

Federer won $798,540 in prize money plus 1,000 ranking points.

Simon makes his return in the world’s top 20 after a final run in Shanghai.

“He was just more opportunistic,” said Simon. “We had a close match. I had a set point in the first, two in the second. It’s just a few points deciding it, and he was always really good on these points. He played some great shots.

“He’s putting a lot of pressure. He’s always showing you that he is ready to be really aggressive on every shot. So he keeps you under pressure.”