Federer returns to practice in Shanghai, reminiscing his player days, while Murray jokes that Federer’s serve could still improve.

It has been three years since Federer announced his retirement. Since then, he has been enjoying life off the court, yet tennis remains deeply ingrained in his life. In Shanghai, the 44-year-old legend seems to have temporarily stepped out of retirement mode to step back onto the hard court. On October 13, Federer shared a video on Instagram showing himself practicing serves alone in an empty Shanghai stadium.

A basket full of tennis balls sits nearby as Federer tries serves from various angles—his natural talent for serving clearly evident. Fans, seeing the “tennis magician” pick up his racquet again, flooded the comments with joy. At that moment, Murray appeared and pointed out something “very important”: “If your toss was a bit more disguised, you might be quite a good player.”

Federer surely laughed upon reading that comment, as fans in the comment section were amused as well. After all, when Murray faced Federer in their prime, reading his serve was no easy task—Federer’s serve was one of his most formidable weapons. His “hard-to-detect” toss disguise and the resulting effective serve were so impressive that even Nadal had to acknowledge it.

In a March 2025 podcast, Nadal and former American star Roddick discussed Federer’s toughness. Nadal said, “Roger’s serve is really hard to read because he can change the rhythm at any moment.” Roddick immediately added, “He can hit seven different serves off the same toss… totally unpredictable. He has favorite serve directions but can always throw in variations.”

Nadal fully agreed: “Exactly, it’s tough for me to predict what he’s going to do.” Roddick chuckled, “Luckily, I’m not the only one who feels that way.” It seems Murray is also in “Roddick’s camp,” though the Brit prefers to joke around when competing with Federer.

Since retiring, Federer appears to have grown fond of Shanghai. In 2024, he came here for a charity match and watched the Djokovic vs. Sinner final. This year, he returned again to participate in an exhibition match, partnering with Donnie Yen (star of “Ip Man”), ultimately winning 5-7, 10-8, 7-1. The score was less important than the shared experience. Federer once again stepped onto the court as a tennis player, using the opportunity to send a warm message—that sports play a vital role in daily life and happiness.

Of course, all this happened before he took a seat in the stands on October 12 to witness a historic moment at the Shanghai Masters. This year’s tournament broke many records, but none more stunning than Vacherot’s victory. After defeating his cousin Lindgren, Vacherot became the lowest-ranked ATP champion in Shanghai Masters history. And he achieved this triumph right in front of Federer—truly a priceless victory.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)