Roger Federer beats Nadal for the 4th time this year, wins Shanghai Masters title

Earlier this year, Federer beat Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open, the Miami Masters and in the last 16 at Indian Wells. After registering these three victories, Federer also managed to thrash his long-time rival in Shanghai by firing 10 aces.

It took an hour and 12 minutes for Federer to claim his second Shanghai title with an exceptional performance. He is now possibly the only one who can still stop Nadal ending the year as number one. 

“I wasn’t here last year because of injuries, so it’s just so, so nice to be back in Shanghai,” Federer said to AP.

“It’s a wonderful moment for me to be back here playing against my good friend and rival, Rafa… We didn’t think maybe we were going to have the year we did."

“I definitely didn’t, so it’s just nice to share this court with you today and hopefully there’s more to come in the tournaments we’ve got left. It’s been a pleasure playing against you again today.”

The game was played under a roof at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center, where Federer sprinted out of the blocks and broke Nadal in the opening game. The Spaniard couldn't deal with the variety of shots coming across the net. 

The Swiss star player, in the second set, didn't take his foot off the pedal, breaking Nadal to go 3-2 up and keeping his cool to wrap up victory, by winning the second of three match points to claim his 94th career title.

Federer earlier won the tournament in 2014 and this year, he enjoyed himself on the fast courts of Shanghai, whereas, Nadal will look back fondly on his victory in last week’s China Open.

“I want to congratulate Roger and his team for a great year. Today I think you played a fantastic match, so many congratulations,” Nadal said.

“This year has probably been the most successful of my career here in China… It’s been a great two weeks and I feel very happy after a long year to be able to have the results here. It’s very important for me.”