The tennis tournament that brought the ATP Masters 1000 to Asia
In short: While most major tennis tournaments reside in Europe or North America, one flagship event stands alone in the East. Born from a desire to expand the sport's reach, the Shanghai Masters transformed a local venue into a global tennis powerhouse.
The tournament's roots trace back to 1996, when Shanghai hosted its first professional event, the Shanghai Open. However, the city's true ascent in the tennis world began with the Tennis Masters Cup. Following a successful 2002 edition won by Lleyton Hewitt, the ATP extended a contract to Shanghai for the years 2005 through 2007, leading to the construction of the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
This venue was designed with grand ambitions, featuring a 15,000-seat main stadium with a unique retractable roof. The roof consists of eight steel panels shaped to resemble the magnolia, Shanghai's city flower. By 2013, the arena's Grand Stand Court 1 was ranked fifth globally in terms of capacity, standing alongside iconic venues like Wimbledon's Centre Court and Beijing's National Tennis Stadium.
In 2007, the ATP announced a major shift: the Shanghai facility would host an ATP Masters 1000 event starting in 2009. This move changed the tour's landscape, as the tournament moved to an outdoor hard court surface in October, reducing the number of indoor Masters events to just one. Since its official launch in May 2009, the event—now known as the Rolex Shanghai Masters—has become a cornerstone of the Asian swing.
The tournament's history is marked by legendary performances. During the early years at the Qizhong venue, Roger Federer reached three finals, winning in 2006 and 2007. Novak Djokovic has since become the tournament's most dominant figure, holding the record for the most singles titles with four victories between 2012 and 2018.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Shanghai Masters (tennis)
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