Novak Djokovic fired a warning to his rivals in their quest for the Rolex Shanghai Masters title on Thursday when he outclassed Italian No. 16 seed Marco Cecchinato for a place in the quarter-finals. Three-time former champion Djokovic, who is also aiming to finish at year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the fifth time exacted revenge over Cecchinato with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-0 victory in 70 minutes.

The Serbian star is now 15 matches unbeaten and has won 28 of 29 matches overall since losing to then No. 72-ranked Cecchinato 6-3, 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-6(11) on 5 June in the Roland Garros quarter-finals. The second seed will next play Nitto ATP Finals contender Kevin Anderson, the seventh seed from South Africa, who broke a two-match losing streak to beat NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-4, 7-6(1), for the first time in their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.

Djokovic, who is now 42-10 on the season (20-4 on hard courts), has a 6-1 record against Anderson, who is bidding to join the Serbian, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Djokovic beat Anderson, who is currently in seventh position in the ATP Race To London, in this year’s Wimbledon final.

If Djokovic reaches the Shanghai final on Sunday, the Serbian will also pass Federer at No. 2 in the ATP Rankings. If Djokovic captures his 32nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title this week, he will move to just within 35 points of the Nadal (7,480) in the battle for year-end No. 1.

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Djokovic needed to bide his time in the first set, but convert his seventh break point opportunity for a 4-3 lead when Cecchinato mis-timed a forehand. Djokovic completed the 47-minute opener with an unreturned serve, then ran through the second set by striking cleanly on return and drawing Cecchinato to the net. Djokovic closed out victory with a hold to 15. Overall, Djokovic hit 20 winners and committed 11 unforced errors.

Cecchinato, 26, is now 1-5 lifetime against Top 10 opponents. The winner of two ATP World Tour titles in 2018 at the Gazprom Hungarian Open in Budapest (d. Millman) and the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag (d. Pella) is now 23-20 on the season.

The top four seeds will take to Center Court at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Thursday for third-round matches against familiar foes. No. 1 seed and two-time champion Roger Federer is 7-0 in matches and 16-0 in sets against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, including a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the Shanghai third round four years ago. With Federer sidelined in 2016, Bautista Agut advanced to the biggest final of his career in Shanghai by defeating then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-ups at the Rolex Shanghai Masters and vote for the players you think will win!
Federer v Bautista Agut | Djokovic v Cecchinato | Del Potro v Coric | Zverev v de Minaur

Despite dominating Bautista Agut in their seven meetings, Federer says that he won’t be taking the Spaniard lightly.  “I saw he was struggling today against a friend of mine, Mackie [McDonald]. I saw he was down 6-3, 4-2, in trouble, so great fight back for him. I’m sure the end to the match gave him a lot of confidence for tomorrow. That’s good for him,” Federer said.

“I have a lot of respect for him. He’s just a tough guy. So you have to bring it. Could be similar like today. A lot of long rallies potentially, but maybe because he doesn’t serve as big as Medvedev, maybe I can take bigger cuts at the ball earlier. I’m excited playing Roberto. I like his demeanor. He’s a great fighter. I like playing against those kind of players.”

Djokovic has won 14 straight tour-level matches and 27 of 29 overall since losing to then-No. 72 Marco Cecchinato in the Roland Garros quarter-finals on 5 June. They meet again on Thursday with Djokovic eyeing a return to No. 2 and Cecchinato ranked a career-high No. 21. The playing surface in Shanghai suits the Serbian. Djokovic is 527-99 and Cecchinato is 4-11 lifetime on hard courts. With another upset, Cecchinato would join Hall-of-Famer Marat Safin (2-0) and World No. 38 Nick Kyrgios (2-0) as the only players to post multiple wins and no losses against Djokovic.

The youngest quarter-finalist in Rolex Shanghai Masters history was a 21-year-old Kei Nishikori in 2011. Alex de Minaur (19), Stefanos Tsitsipas (20) and Alexander Zverev (21) all have a chance to break that record on Thursday. Zverev and de Minaur meet on Center Court with the German leading their rivalry 2-0. Tsitsipas is also 2-0 against his opponent, No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson. No. 3 seed Juan Martin del Potro and No. 13 seed Borna Coric conclude play in a rematch of the US Open on 2 September. Del Potro won 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 en route to his second Grand Slam final.

Rafael Nadal has opened the doors of his tennis academy to his fellow Mallorcans after devastating rains and flash flooding caused at least 10 deaths and catastrophic damage on the Spanish island.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the island Wednesday and declared a “zone of catastrophe”. The town of Sant Lloreç des Cardassar, where more than 200 people had to flee their homes, was especially hard hit.

Nadal responded to the emergency by providing accommodation for at least 50 people at the  Rafael Nadal Academy by Movistar.

“Today is a sad day in Mallorca” wrote the ATP World No. 1 on Twitter. “Our deepest condolences to the families of those who died in San Llorenç floods. Today we offer again the rooms of the #RafaNadalSportsCentre and the Academy for all those who were affected and need accommodation.”

On Wednesday, Nadal also spent three hours helping with the cleanup of Sant Llorenç. The 33-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion joined a group of 20 to remove mud from a mechanical workshop, where water levels reached two metres. His efforts were captured in an image featured on the front page of leading Spanish newspaper, Marca.

Nadal is at home in Mallorca continuing his recovery from a knee injury that forced his retirement from the US Open. He is next scheduled to compete at the Rolex Paris Masters, beginning 29 October.

Next year, David Ferrer will close the book on his illustrious career, as the former World No. 3 prepares to hang up his racquet after 19 seasons on the ATP World Tour.

But last week, the 36-year-old had one final chapter to write in 2018 as he kicked off his farewell tour. Over the years, Ferrer has found a second home in Mexico and his visit to the ATP Challenger Tour event in Monterrey was no exception. A four-time champion at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, the Spanish veteran was embraced by the home crowd throughout the week. Fans packed the Stadium Court to witness his dogged tenacity on full display.

Ferrer did not disappoint, dropping just one set en route to the Abierto GNP Seguros title. Making his first Challenger appearance in 14 years, he improved to 6-0 in finals on the circuit with aplomb. As the Monterrey faithful jockeyed for position to get selfies and autographs with the Spanish legend, the moment transcended sports.

It is a career that most would dream of. A peak ATP Ranking of No. 3 was predicated on hard work and dedication to his craft. He exhibited a persistent, indefatigable attitude regardless of the conditions or situation on the court. Ferrer would go on to lift 27 trophies on the ATP World Tour, including the 2012 Rolex Paris Masters, and reach the final at both the 2007 Nitto ATP Finals and 2013 Roland Garros.

But Ferrer did not stroll onto the ATP World Tour and immediately lift trophies. He got his start far from the bright lights and mammoth stadiums. It was apropos that Ferrer would return to his roots in Monterrey, giving one final farewell to the ATP Challenger Tour.

“When I was younger, the tour really helped me a lot, because in order to be a professional you have to play these Challenger tournaments,” Ferrer told ATPWorldTour.com. “I had the luck of spending a little time at this level and then I quickly played tournaments on the ATP World Tour. The Challengers are a phase that everyone has to go through, to rise to the top. I was only 17 or 18 years old playing tournaments on the ATP World Tour, so I made it fast.”

Ferrer raised five trophies between 2001 and 2002, claiming his maiden crown in Sopot, Poland, before dominating on the clay of Italy with titles in Napoli, Sassuolo and Manerbio. A native of Javea, Spain, he would also reign in nearby Valencia, giving the home fans the opportunity to watch a star in the making. Two months later, he would break into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings at the ripe age of 20.

“I still remember the first Challenger I won in Sopot (Poland) and also when I won in Napoli (Italy), because I beat Marc Rosset. I saw him play on television many times and to play against him in a match was different. He was the first big player I beat. Great memories.

“The Challenger circuit is very difficult and it is not easy to win there. Of course no one wants to stay playing at the level, but it is a stage that everyone has to pass. It is a big jump to play on the ATP World Tour, but it is clear that these players are at a high level.”

In the early 2000s, the proud tennis-rich Spanish contingent was beginning to say ‘adios’ to legends Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya, as a new era commenced with Ferrer and Rafael Nadal. Now, a similar transition is taking shape, as the Next Generation is already taking aim behind the likes of Jaume Munar, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Taberner, Nicola Kuhn and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Munar, Martinez and Kuhn have already captured their maiden titles.

“The Spanish players in Challengers are really good. Jaume Munar already is in the Top 100 and has passed this level. Pedro Martinez is on this path and Carlos Taberner also. They are very young players but I am sure they will be in the Top 100 soon. It is true that we also have teenagers like Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Nicola Kuhn and Carlos Gimeno Valero who are the future.

“I have trained a lot with Martinez and also with Gimeno, because he is from Valencia. I was also with Davidovich in Marbella and he is a player that I also like a lot.”

Ferrer will open his 2019 campaign at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where he is a four-time champion. He plans to call it a career in either Barcelona or Madrid.

It is not often that players go onto court against Roger Federer, for the first time, and manage not only to handle the pressure, but also play perhaps the best shot of their career. But, at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, that could be said of Daniil Medvedev.

The newly crowned Russian No. 1 may have lost in three-sets to the defending champion, but he won a number of fans and took Hot Shot honours after winning one of the best rallies of the tournament in jaw-dropping circumstances. In fact, the volley Medvedev played not only forced a smile from Federer, but the 20-time Grand Slam champion even gave his opponent a quick round of applause after making a volley that had so much backspin, it bounced back onto Medvedev’s side of the court.

“What was great about that shot is he didn’t maybe want that, but he gave himself the best chance to make the ball,” said Federer. “When you have the right intention, right belief and right stretch, good things do happen.”

The 6’6″ Moscow-born star is producing his best season yet on the ATP World Tour, having recently won his third title of the season at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (d. Nishikori). Medvedev also lifted trophies in Sydney and Winston-Salem and has risen 62 places in the ATP Rankings in just nine months, from No. 84 to No. 22. The 22-year-old Medvedev also qualified for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last year.

“This was one of the perfect examples that we both played a great point, and at the end, a little magic happens,” said Federer. “It was good fun to see it. In the beginning, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe it happened’, then you’re actually happy for the guy that he actually pulled off a great shot.”

Roger Federer has played more than 1,400 matches all over the world during his 21-year professional career. So, to be sure, he’s seen a few passionate crowds in his day, which makes his comments about the Rolex Shanghai Masters fans on Wednesday all that more meaningful.

Thank you for all the love from the RFans in Shanghai today! ❤️?? pic.twitter.com/xYTCT6W1HU

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) October 10, 2018

The top-seeded Federer beat Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in his opener at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. But Federer credited some of the victory to the faithful inside Qi Zhong Stadium.

The defending champion was tested by Medvedev, who won his biggest title on Sunday in Tokyo, before breaking the Russian in the ninth game of the decider and serving it out.

“I really feel parts of the victory belong to the fans here in Shanghai. I thought they were phenomenal for the first round and they understood I was in trouble and I appreciate that,” Federer said.

“I like when the crowds cheer. If they cheer for me, that’s better, but if they cheer for the opponent, that’s okay, too, as long as there is a great crowd. But I’m very thankful and very happy when I see everybody’s having a good time. Thankfully I’m used to it. Good, big crowds, loud crowds.”

The 37-year-old was particularly impressed by a legion of fans in the upper deck that sported matching “Allez Federer” banners. He’ll hope for another big crowd when he faces Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.

“You very rarely get a chance to see a group of guys getting together like this, sitting in a row, I don’t know, a hundred, and a few rows up, as well, and holding up massive banners. It’s not what tennis usually is about. It’s splintered, splintered groups all around the stadium.

“I feel like that’s very unique here in Shanghai. They devote their time and creativity, almost like a football fan, and they are all together there to support me,” Federer said.

“So I appreciate that they take the time to think of me also when I’m not here in Shanghai, and when I do show up, they are so excited and so happy, and that obviously gives me a lift, a big one. I can’t thank them enough.”