Federer meets Golden State Warriors ahead of Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer is back in action for the first time since the U.S. Open at this week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters. Federer has won the tournament once since it began in 2009, triumphing in 2014. He will begin his quest for a second title when he takes the court against either Diego Schwartzman or Jordan Thompson following a first-round bye.

With Rafael Nadal seeded first in Shanghai and Federer second, they cannot face each other until the final. Nadal is riding a 12-match winning streak heading into this event thanks to back-to-back titles at the U.S. Open and China Open. Find betting lines for tennis matches.

But before Federer worries about the competition, he took some time to visit the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in Shanghai. Golden State, which won the NBA title this past summer, is on a preseason tour of Asia. The 36-year-old swiss talked with team members including Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and everyone got to enjoy a Federer highlight reel.

He also posed for a photo with former NBA star Yao Ming.

“This is highly unusual for me to go into the locker room of another sport, really, especially before a game and this far away from the (United) States, here in Shanghai,” the current world No. 2 explained. “It’s kind of cool. Everybody’s laid back. I love meeting fellow athletes.”

Federer and Nadal are joined in the field by Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, Pablo Carreno Busta, and David Goffin, just to name a few. Zverev is bidding for his third Masters 1000 title of the season. Goffin is coming off back-to-back titles on this Asian swing (Shenzhen and Tokyo). Federer is in the same half of the draw as Zverev and Thiem, while Nadal could face Cilic in the semifinals.

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