Swiss claimed his 52nd 'Big Title' with his second victory in Shanghai
Roger Federer extended his lead on the ‘Big Titles’ scoreboard over rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal by beating the Spanish left-hander to earn his second title at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday.
In taking down his longtime rival, Nadal, Federer captured his fifth ‘Big Title’ of the season, winning two Grand Slams at the Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as earning an ATP World Tour-leading third Masters 1000 trophy. The first two came at the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau.
The Swiss upped his total of ‘Big Titles’ — a combination of Grand Slams, Masters 1000 events and Nitto ATP Finals — to 52, five ahead of Djokovic’s 47 and six in front of Nadal’s 46.
The battle for ‘Big Title’ supremacy remains intense, as Djokovic continues to hold the record for best conversion rate, winning one ‘Big Title’ every 3.4 events, with Nadal close behind at 3.5. Federer has won an average of one title per 4.1 tournaments. But with his victory in Shanghai, the 36 year old moved closer to Nadal and Djokovic’s record of 30 Masters 1000 victories with his 27th title. He can move closer to their mark in two weeks at the final Masters 1000 tournament of 2017, the Rolex Paris Masters.
Current and Former Champions' Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)
Player Grand Slams Nitto ATP Finals
1000s Total (Avg)
Roger Federer 19/71 6/14 27/127 52/212 (4.1)
Novak Djokovic 12/51 5/10 30/98 47/159 (3.4)
Rafael Nadal 16/50 0/7 30/106 46/161 (3.5)
Pete Sampras 14/52 5/11 11/83 30/146 (4.9)
Andre Agassi 8/61 1/13 17/90 26/164 (6.3)
Andy Murray 3/46 1/8 14/96 18/148 (8.2)
Boris Becker* 2/26 2/6 5/51 9/83 (9.2)
Thomas Muster 1/29 0/4 8/53 9/86 (9.6)
Gustavo Kuerten 3/33 1/3 5/67 9/103 (11.4)
Jim Courier 4/38 0/4 5/71 9/113 (12.6)
Stefan Edberg** 3/28 0/4 1/24 4/56 (14)
Marcelo Rios 0/26 0/1 5/56 5/83 (16.6)
Michael Chang 1/50 0/6 7/86 8/142 (17.

Marat Safin 2/41 0/3 5/87 7/131 (18.7)
Andy Roddick 1/46 0/6 5/75 6/127 (21.2)
* Becker's four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg's three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
Federer has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the 15th time, and will attempt to earn his record seventh title at the event from 12-19 November at The O2 in London. The six-time champion has advanced to the final in 10 of the last 14 year-end finales. He missed last year’s edition due to injury.
Nadal is currently No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, and was the first to book his spot in London. The 31 year old is seeking his first title at the Nitto ATP Finals. He has previously made the final in 2010 (l. to Federer) and 2013 (l. to Djokovic). The Spaniard is right behind his Swiss rival with four ‘Big Titles’ this season, winning at Roland Garros, the US Open, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and the Mutua Madrid Open.
Djokovic will not have a chance to tie Federer’s mark of six Nitto ATP Finals wins due to injury.
Federer will attempt to sweep the final three ‘Big Titles’ of the season for the first time, as he seeks to follow up his Shanghai victory with a second Paris triumph before heading to London for the year-end finale.