17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer is all set to start his campaign at the Shanghai Masters, where he has the opportunity to topple rival Rafael Nadal as the no.2 men's singles player in the world.
The 33-year old Federer has been having a better season compared to what he had in 2013, when it seemed the end of his illustrious tennis career. Now, the Swiss Maestro is in position to inch closer towards taking the world's no.2 ranking from Nadal, who hasn't reached his top form since sitting out for over a month with a right wrist injury.
Federer himself admitted that his target is to win his first Shanghai Masters 1000, though he's also aware that the road to victory is going to be a lot tougher in this tourney.
"Of course, the wish is to win the tournament here. I've never been able to win it other than the Masters Cup here, but never when it was a Masters 1000. That is the goal, no doubt about it," Federer said in a press conference via ATP World Tour.
"I feel my game is good enough now, but the field is very strong. Tough draws for all the top guys. A lot of guys are fighting to get into the race for the World Tour Finals in London, so there's a lot of pressure on many of the guys."
Federer is scheduled to play the winner of the first round match between Leonardo Mayer and Wu Di, while his rival Nadal will play compatriot Feliciano Lopez of Spain in the second round.
With only 285 points separating the two, the pressure is on for Federer and Nadal to perform well in this particular tournament. While Federer is hungry for achievement, Nadal is just trying to survive the rest of the campaign after a wrist injured derailed him last September.
The two tennis gladiators will not see each other in the tourney unless both made it to the championship match.
