Roger Federer DEMANDS fellow professionals do this at Shanghai Masters

Federer is in China this week trying to defend his Shanghai Masters crown while vying for the year-end world No 1 ranking.

The Swiss star was handed a first-round bye so he gets his campaign underway against Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday.

Some players are often criticised for their treatment of ball kids at ATP events as they tend to the star’s every need.

And Federer wants them to be looked after to ensure they have a similarly enjoyable event where they go home happy.

“Sure you always want to respect the ball kids for who they are and the great job that they’re doing,” said Federer.

“But it’s not easy for each and every player to control their emotions exactly.

“The ball kids are really important to us because they are also maybe the future of our game.

“I was happy when I left a tennis tournament, I felt like: ‘Oh man, it was just all good.’

“There were no negatives, so you don’t want to have them leave feeling like, oh my god, like I was not appreciated or I was not liked or it was actually a horrible thing, you know?

“So yes, it needs to be taken care of.”

Federer has also reflected on how much the Shanghai Masters has changed since he first entered the competition 16 years ago.

“A lot has changed since 2002,” Federer added.

“I maybe had, I don’t know, four titles. It’s been an amazing run for me, with a lot of success, incredible streaks, a lot of fun, becoming somewhat of a national hero back home in Switzerland, which is a hard thing to do.

“Being here in 2002 obviously has been very different.

“When you come back now, every time you play, you’re one of the big favourites. In 2002, I was just happy to be part of the tournament.

“Only later did I realise the power and the potential, I had, and especially this country had, to embrace tennis and to see what they really wanted to achieve here in this part of the world, especially here in Shanghai where people seem so excited about this sport.

“There’s flags everywhere from the airport when you arrive till here, to the Qizhong Stadium.

“The excitement they have to come here, it’s a lot of fun for the players. Have an incredibly strong fan base it seems here in China.

“That’s why I loved playing at the Olympics in Beijing. So I feel like I’m very connected to China.”