CHINESE FANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR FEDERER

Roger Federer was given a firm message of support from his Chinese fans as he officially launched the 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters on Saturday.

In the ceremony, the Swiss unveiled the “Shanghai 2013” sign along the baseline of the Stadium court. The 32-year-old Federer is playing his first tournament since the US Open and is looking for a strong showing to boost his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He currently lies in seventh place in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

Two fans had flown from QiaoDao to give Federer a banner that read, “I Believe In U Roger!” The 10,000 fans inside the Stadium then held up identical signs in support of the 17-time Grand Slam champion. Additionally, Federer’s official website had selected two fans to present him with his good wishes from around the world in a red envelope.

Federer will get in some additional match practice before his opening singles match, against either Lleyton Hewitt or Andreas Seppi, when he teams up with Chinese No. 1 Ze Zhang in the doubles. The two played an exhibition set at the opening ceremony, with Federer winning 7-6. They play their first-round match on Monday against Kevin Anderson and Dmitry Tursunov.