Andy Murray is a menace. On the court, he never let you have an easy point. And off the court, you never see his quips coming. There he was – Roger Federer, minding his own business, back on the court, wielding a racquet and turning back the clock. Out of nowhere, Murray drops in with his classic wit, giving us a hilariously cheeky moment, but at the expense of the 20-time Grand Slam Champion.

It’s been three years since Roger Federer announced his retirement. Since then, he has been enjoying time, watching the next generation continue his legacy of playing tennis with grace and flair, yet like a winner. But you know. This sport is his life. And in Shanghai, he was less in retirement mode, as the 44-year-old found himself back on the hard court. The 2017 Shanghai Masters winner shared an Instagram post on October 13, where he was seen serving out some balls inside the empty Shanghai court.

A rolling ball hopper full of tennis balls, and Federer was trying out his different serves at different angles – a genius that he was at serving. Well, the fans were happy to see the magician back at his craft as they poured in with their love in the comments. But dropped in, Andy Murray, too. And he had something very important to point out. “If you could have disguised your toss better, you would have been some player,” the Brit commented on the post.

Classic Andy!! You know, Roger Federer would have burst out laughing at the joke. And so was everyone else in the comments. We know how Murray must have struggled to pick up Federer’s serve during their encounters. Who hasn’t? It was one of the Swiss maestro’s weapons. His notorious disguise of his toss and how effective it was became public knowledge thanks to none other than Rafael Nadal himself.

In the podcast interview in March 2025 with former US tennis icon Andy Roddick, Nadal spoke about the things that made it difficult for the Spaniard to play Federer. “The Roger serve was very difficult to read because he was able to change,” Nadal explained. And Andy Roddick, having had his frustrating encounters with Federer, jumped in, “He could hit seven different serves off of the same toss … and wasn’t predictable. (He) had a favorite serve, but he could hit the other one.”

Nadal totally agreed: “Exactly. For me, it was very difficult to predict what’s going on.” And Roddick chipped in, “I’m glad it wasn’t just me.” Well, it seems like Andy Murray is also on Team Roddick. Although the Brit has found a way to banter with Federer about it. But then again, Murray has always been good at using Federer’s greatness against him.

Back in 2022, when Murray was still on the circuit, and he came to play in the Swiss Indoors Basel, he saw the perfect opportunity to troll the Swiss legend. Murray shared how he texted Federer after landing in Switzerland. And the text? “I just touched down in the city of one of the world’s greatest ever athletes: Granit Xhaka.”

As an Arsenal fan, Murray was well aware of Xhaka’s capabilities. And the rest was just his quick wit and cheeky sense of humor. As for the toss, Federer hasn’t had to use that trick for a long time, although Shanghai did put him in the middle of the action. Kind-of.

Roger Federer’s busy Shanghai trip

Shanghai is becoming Federer’s post-retirement hot spot. In 2024, he came here and played a charity match. And he watched Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner battle it out in the final. This time too, he returned for a doubles exhibition match. He partnered up with Hong Kong actor and film-maker Donnie Yen, of the Ip Man fame, to play the former doubles World No. 3 Zheng Jie and professional footballer Wu Lei.

They got down on the center court of the Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, where the Federer-Yen team eventually won 5-7, 10-8, 7-1. But it was less about the result and more about the shared experience. It was about being a tennis player again, while the Swiss legend also sent out a wholesome message about “how important sports is for everyday life, for happiness.”

This was obviously before he took the stands on October 12 to see history being created at the 2025 Shanghai Masters. There’s been a lot of records made at this year’s event, but none more historic than Valentin Vacherot’s win. Beating his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, in the final, Vacherot became the lowest ATP-ranked player ever to win the Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event. And doing it in front of Roger Federer? Priceless!