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Can Djokovic or Medvedev build on Shanghai's ATP No. 1 Club legacy?

Since its inception in 2009, the Rolex Shanghai Masters has stood as one of the most prestigious stops on the ATP Masters 1000 calendar.

Over the years, it has constantly attracted the game’s biggest names and produced some of its most memorable battles. Five of the 29 players to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings have triumphed in Shanghai: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner.

Two from that illustrious quintet are in the midst of deep runs at this year’s event: Medvedev, who will face Alex de Minaur Friday in the quarter-finals, and Djokovic, who will meet surprise package World No. 204 Valentin Vacherot in Saturday’s semis.

As the 2025 tournament boils towards its conclusion, ATPTour.com celebrates the No. 1s who have lifted the trophy in Shanghai.

Murray’s Triple Spark
Murray made Shanghai his playground with back-to-back titles in 2010-11, before returning in 2016 for one of the most important victories of his career.

Arriving in Shanghai as the World No. 2, Murray had already built momentum with titles in Rome, Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and Beijing. But the Briton didn’t stop there: He stormed through the field without dropping a set to complete his Shanghai hat-trick and later extended his winning streak to 24 matches to earn his lone ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finish.

Djokovic’s 2012 Breakthrough & Record Trophy Haul
Djokovic denied Murray’s bid for a Shanghai three-peat in unforgettable fashion in 2012. After semi-final runs in 2009-10, Djokovic stormed through the field upon return to Shanghai two years later to set a clash with Murray in the final.

Across three hours, 21 minutes of battle, Djokovic clawed back from a set and a break down — saving five championship points en route — to seize his first Shanghai crown. With his victory, he also avenged his recent US Open final defeat to Murray one month prior and took a 9-7 lead in their rapidly growing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

Djokovic successfully defended his title in 2013 and won a further two trophies in 2015 and 2018, making him the tournament’s most decorated champion.

<img alt=”Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/27/14/58/djokovic-murray-shanghai-2012-final.jpg” />_{^{Novak Djokovic defeats Andy Murray in the 2012 Shanghai final. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.}}

Federer’s Shanghai Prestige
Federer’s first Shanghai title in 2014 began with a great escape. In his opening match against Leonardo Mayer, the Swiss star saved five match points before surviving a tense third-set tie-break.

That getaway lit a fire under Federer, who powered through the rest of the draw — including top seed Djokovic in the semi-finals — to lift his maiden Shanghai trophy.

“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,” said Federer, who returned three years later to capture his second Shanghai title, and 27th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

<img alt=”Roger Federer” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/27/14/59/federer-shanghai-2014-final.jpg” />_{^{Roger Federer in action during the 2014 Shanghai final. Photo: Zhong Zhi/Getty Images}}

Medvedev’s Masterclass
Medvedev had already hinted at his potential in Shanghai when he pushed Federer to three sets in 2018, but it was the following year when he fully delivered on that promise.

Returning in 2019 as the World No. 4, and a completely different player, Medvedev dominated the field with a near-flawless display of power and consistency to clinch his first title in Shanghai. He capped his run with consecutive wins over two of his greatest rivals, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, in the semi-final and final, respectively.

Sinner’s Statement
Sinner became the latest ATP No. 1 Club member to shine in Shanghai, capturing last year’s title in the midst of an end-of-season surge. He dropped just one set en route to a championship-match clash with record champion Djokovic.

Yet with fearless execution and unwavering focus, Sinner toppled the Serbian 7-6(4), 6-3 and snapped his perfect 4-0 streak in Shanghai finals. The win, which cemented his status at the top of the game, marked the Italian’s seventh title of the season.

 [NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Vacherot on barging into the Top 100, with family members in tow!

The emotions set in for Valentin Vacherot moments after he completed his fifth comeback win from a set down at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters to become the first player born in Monaco to reach an ATP Tour semi-final.

After wiping away tears of joy, the 26-year-old signed the courtside TV lens, “Top 100!!!”

The qualifier rallied for his biggest career win over the No. 11 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Holger Rune, 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in the second-longest match of the 2025 tournament (two hours, 59 minutes). It was his third main-draw win from a set down and fifth overall including two qualifying matches. He will next face four-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

“It was a lot of emotions, and I already had a lot of emotions,” said Vacherot, who is the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals in the history of the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. “I was a bit going through the emotions, through everything. The first three wins, especially the one in the third round was tough to enjoy because Tomas (Machac) had to retire. But already the round of 16 against Griekspoor was a lot of emotions. It was an unreal moment.

“This one even more. My first semi-final. Also going from [World No. 204] to No. 92. It was just an unreal moment for me. So much emotion. To get to share that with my coach and brother, my girlfriend, Arthur [Rinderknech] my cousin. Still feels like there are still a few people with me here, and also ready to tomorrow to cheer on Arthur.”

Rinderknech, who plays No. 12 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals on Friday, knew his cousin would one day join him in the Top 100.

“I wasn’t doubting at all, but I was waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Frenchman Rinderknech. “I can’t wait to have a full year with him on the Tour and the following years.”

A moment to remember 🙌@val_vacherot outlasts Rune 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 to reach a maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/l29tKkSJsh

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2025

Last year, Vacherot was on the verge of breaking into the Top 100, reaching No. 110 in the PIF ATP Rankings on June 24, 2024. But a right shoulder injury forced him to be sidelined for most of the final seven months of the season, during which he played in just two tournaments, and none after retiring in the second round of qualifying at the US Open.

“I had a really tough one last year when I got hurt after Roland Garros in May, being 30 points away from the Top 100, just sitting on the couch, seeing myself not moving in the rankings, and then after going down,” said Vacherot, who finished last season at No. 140 and fell as low as No. 267 on June 23 this year. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy this year to get back at the ranking.

“It took me a while. Even before this tournament I was ranked at 204, so it’s still really far from the Top 100.”

On the original qualifying cutoff list in Shanghai, Vacherot was 22 spots from getting into the draw. And when he arrived in the city on the Thursday night before qualifying began on Monday, he was still nine spots out. He learned less than 36 hours before qualifying began that he would make it into the draw.

“I knew there was a big chance because Shanghai is one of the last Masters 1000s [of the year] and a few guys, if you’re hurt at the end of the season, you are not taking risks. I knew it would drop,” said Vacherot, whose only previous Masters 1000 main draw in his career came in Monte-Carlo in April, when he lost in the second round.

“I said, worst of all, I was going to be here one week earlier, because I was going to play five more Challengers after,” he said. “Now I’m just going to go home after this tournament, so it’s another funny story. I said to myself, if I don’t get in, I just train in the conditions of China for just one week and just be ready for after.”

His half-brother Benjamin Balleret has been coaching him since 2022 and knows what the Top 100 milestone means.

“There was the injury last year and we were so close from the Top 100,” said Balleret. “You have to start all over again and so it was very difficult for him to accept. It’s a bit emotional because he’s my brother and I see him grow and I know that he wants it so much.

“Sometimes I feel he wants it too much. Also because we started from zero. He came back from college and had zero points. I believe in him, he believed in me. He believed in my experience to help him. So for all that it’s emotional.”

<img alt=”Valentin Vacherot/Arthur Rinderknech” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/10/09/14/33/vacherot-rinderknech-monte-carlo-2006-cousins.jpg” />

_{^{Vacherot (aged 7) and his cousin Rinderknech (aged 10) at the 2006 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo courtesy of Benjamin Balleret}}

Rinderknech was in the player guest box on Thursday and was proud of his cousin’s resilience.

“He was really fighting throughout the match today and he found a way, a little bit like his previous round. He found a way to win the second set, and physically Holger was struggling in the third,” said the Frenchman. “It’s a single sport, so a lot of variables, and if any of them is not at 100 percent, nowadays everybody is just so close level-wise that it showed.”

Rinderknech and Vacherot played two and a-half seasons at Texas A&M University and their coach from those days, former ATP pro Steve Denton, was watching the final two sets at home around 3 a.m.

“He is quite a fighter and the thing I always admired about Val is he never gave up and he went for it in the big moments,” said Denton. “It was great to see his resilience and he went for it late in the tie-breaker and that was ultimately the difference. I couldn’t be prouder of him and his brother Ben. They have been through a lot together and Val has learned his lessons well. He is ready.”

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Stayin' alive in Shanghai! Djokovic tops Bergs for M1000 history

Novak Djokovic has not had it easy at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters, but the Serbian remains on course for a record-extending fifth title at the ATP Masters 1000.

The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Thursday overcame Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 to book his semi-final spot in China. With his victory, the 38-year-old Serbian became the oldest semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history.

Djokovic, who battled through a leg issue and exhaustion in the Shanghai heat during his fourth-round win against Jaume Munar, again struggled physically during the opening set against Bergs. Yet he shook off what appeared to be a problem with his left foot to advance to reach the last four at a Masters 1000 event for a record-extending 80th time.

Djokovic initially served for the match after breaking Bergs’ serve for 5-4 in the second set, but a spirited Bergs immediately drew level with a high-quality return game. In the next game, Djokovic repelled four Bergs overheads and a swinging volley to prevail in one of the points of the tournament en route to breaking serve again, and this time the 100-time tour-level titlist made no mistake in closing out his win.

THE GREAT WALL OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC 🙅‍♂️@DjokerNole | @SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/FOVpc7wUK6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2025

“I was just trying to stay alive to be honest on the court,” reflected Djokovic after his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 26-year-old Bergs. “My first encounter with Bergs. He’s a great guy. Obviously, a lot of firepower in his game. At times I just tried to play an extra ball in the court and make him miss the ball, and that’s what happened. I should have closed out the match at 5-4. He played a good game, again I was a little bit too passive.

“Very challenging conditions these days for all the players, and I was just trying to stay alive on the court. I’m glad to overcome this hurdle.”

Djokovic is now two wins away from a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 crown, and his first since the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters. Standing between him and a spot in the Shanghai championship match is Valentin Vacherot, after the Monegasque qualifier earlier upset 10th seed Holger Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.

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Vacherot, 'living the dream', stuns Rune for Shanghai SF spot

Valentin Vacherot added another memorable moment to his 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters odyssey on Thursday afternoon. The Monegasque qualifier outlasted 10th seed Holger Rune for a stunning 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 quarter-final victory at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000.

Despite a difficult start, the World No. 204 Vacherot stuck with Rune in the second set before powering past the physically ailing Dane in the decider to become the second lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Masters 1000 history (since 1990). With his two-hour, 59-minute victory, the 26-year-old Vacherot simultaneously ensured he will on Monday crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He is up 112 spots to No. 92 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Remember the name 🌟

World No. 204 @val_vacherot defeats Rune to reach the @SH_RolexMasters final four.#RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/oTVxHiaNpM

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2025

“I didn’t come as a qualifier, I came as an alternate. I wasn’t even sure I was going to play qualifying,” said Vacherot. “This is just unbelievable. The last win meant already so much to me. This one means even more.

“It was tough not to think about it on match point, also breaking the Top 100. I know this is just a step, but I tried not to look at the rankings for this whole tournament. I had read that if I won, I would break the Top 100, but this is just unbelievable for me. I cannot wait for [the semi-final]. I’m just so happy and living the dream.”

Vacherot held a physical edge over Rune in the deciding set, during which the World No. 11 twice called for the trainer to massage his right upper leg. Although the Dane continued to go for his shots, Vacherot held his nerve to save two break points in the 10th game before converting his second match point for the biggest win of his career.

Vacherot has come back from a set down in five of his seven matches in Shanghai so far (including two in qualifying). He will next bid to reach his first tour-level final when he takes on record four-time champion Novak Djokovic or Zizou Bergs in the last four.

“First set, physically I was really shocked. That was a step above [what I am used to],” said Vacherot. “I already thought Tallon [Griekspoor, in the fourth round], tennis-wise was playing really good. I was already shocked about that. Sascha Bublik, we know how he plays. You could expect any shot at any second. That’s why he’s so good.

“But today I was shocked by how [Rune] was defending. Points that I would win against 90 per cent of the guys, for him it was just a random ball. I felt like I was coming in and would have an easy volley. So the first set was pretty physical. My lungs were screaming a little bit, but that helped me a lot for the second set, because I just went off to change and it helped me to play a little bit more free.”

Already the first Monegasque quarter-finalist in Masters 1000 history, Vacherot extended his run by converting two of four break points he earned in the match against Rune, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He is the second qualifier to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final in 2025, after Terence Atmane also made that stage in August in Cincinnati.

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What records can Djokovic extend in Shanghai?

Could Novak Djokovic further rewrite the history books at the Rolex Shanghai Masters?

The Serbian owns the ATP Masters 1000 records for most titles (40), finals (60) and semi-finals (79) according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and he has an opportunity to extend each of those marks this week in China, where he is into the quarter-finals.

Djokovic already has the most titles in tournament history with four and is three victories from lifting a record-extending fifth trophy. It would be his first Masters 1000 triumph since the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters.

This is not the only Masters 1000 event where he has earned more crowns than any other player, though. In fact, he is the record-holder for most titles at more events in the series than anyone else.

The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings holds the record for most trophies — or is tied for the most — at four of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments currently on the ATP Tour calendar. He is tied for the top mark at Indian Wells (5, with Roger Federer) and Miami (6, with Andre Agassi), while standing alone in Shanghai and Paris.

Members of the ATP No. 1 Club have dominated the winner’s circle at Masters 1000 events. The player with the most crowns at each of the nine tournaments has climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in his career.

Rafael Nadal has claimed the most crowns at the three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, in Monte-Carlo (11), Madrid (5) and Rome (10), Ivan Lendl has won Canada six times and Federer emerged victorious seven times in Cincinnati.

But nobody has matched Djokovic’s success at the level. The Serbian’s number of Masters 1000 trophies is double the tally for all but two players in series history (since 1990): Nadal (36) and Federer (28).

The 38-year-old Djokovic, now the oldest Masters 1000 quarter-finalist in series history following his success so far in Shanghai, will try to extend his run on Thursday when he plays Zizou Bergs for a place in the semi-finals.

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Medvedev says 'shoo' to déjà vu in Shanghai R4 win vs. Tien

Daniil Medvedev dug deep to avoid a repeat disappointment against Learner Tien on the hard courts of China with a dramatic Wednesday-night win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The 29-year-old recovered from a bout of cramp late in the second set to overcome #NextGenATP American Tien 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 in an engrossing encounter at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Just eight days after Medvedev was forced to retire from the deciding set of the pair’s semi-final in Beijing due to cramp, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings was this time able to ward off his physical struggles and rouse a late charge to victory.

Meddy’s Moment! 👏@DaniilMedwed outlasts Tien (7-6 6-7 6-4) in an EPIC encounter to advance into the Shanghai quarter-finals@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasterspic.twitter.com/Ah3jbLrNUs

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2025

“I think the toughest part was that we played two times [before], and in my opinion he is an unbelievable player, because he doesn’t have a great serve and serve is so important in tennis,” said Medvedev. “Without the serve, he is 19 years old and 30-something in the world and only going up. In my opinion he is such a good tennis player.

“He feels the game so well. There are so many guys right now that just hit strong with every ball they have, and they have an amazing serve which allows them to stay in the tennis match. He doesn’t have it, and he manages to play so good without it. For me to beat him… I thought I was going to lose. I was cramping again and I’m just super happy to manage to do it.”

In a topsy-turvy two-hour, 53-minute encounter, Medvedev failed to serve out the first set at 5-4 before prevailing in a tie-break, and then carved out a 3-0 lead in the second. Yet Tien roared back and won the second set in a tie-break during which Medvedev was nearly completely immobilised due to the cramps in his right leg.

The 2019 Shanghai champion Medvedev appeared out of contention at that point, but his body loosened after the changeover between sets and he produced some typically robust tennis into the decider. Despite regularly chuntering to himself in a frustrated fashion throughout, Medvedev decisively broke serve in the ninth game before serving out to earn his first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with the 19-year-old Tien.

All three of Medvedev and Tien’s meetings have proven dramatic. At the Australian Open, Tien prevailed in a five-set thriller that ended just before 3 a.m. local time, while the pair’s Beijing and Shanghai clashes have been dominated by Medvedev’s battles with his body.

Now into his third Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season (Indian Wells, Madrid), Medvedev will next face seventh seed Alex de Minaur, who earlier defeated Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 to book his spot in the last eight.

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