Reuters

A refreshed Roger Federer returns to tennis after a month-long break confident he can get back to winning ways.

Shanghai – A refreshed Roger Federer returns to tennis after a month-long break confident he can get back to winning ways at the Shanghai Masters starting Sunday.

The Swiss great, who has slipped to number three in the world rankings behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, last played in the semifinals at the US Open, where he was beaten by the Serbian in five sets.

But after a period away from the glare of competition, the 29-year-old 16-time Grand Slam champion is eyeing a successful run in China's commercial capital.

“He (Nadal) is the best player in the world right now. He's won the last three Grand Slams so he completely deserves to be at world number one,” Federer said in Hong Kong at a sponsor's event during the week.

But he added: “I'm a strong believer that when I'm at my best I can beat anyone, I can even dominate anyone.”

Federer has been victorious four times in Shanghai when the eastern Chinese city served as host of the tour's year-end finals, lifting that trophy in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Nadal and Djokovic have already started their Asian swings, with the Spaniard playing in Bangkok and Tokyo while Djokovic was defending his China Open title in Beijing.

The top eight seeds all have first-round byes, with Nadal set to start against either France's Gilles Simon or Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

Djokovic will face either Chinese wildcard Zhang Ze or Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, while Federer will be up against American John Isner – a semifinalist in Beijing – or a qualifier.

Last year's US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn, with ATP officials saying that he is still having physical problems after making his return following wrist surgery.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray lost in the quarter-finals in Beijing to Ljubicic and needs to find some form heading into the season's final phase, with five of the eight spots in the year-end final in London still up for grabs.

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have qualified so far.

Two more seeds looking to improve are world number five Robin Soderling and number six Nikolay Davydenko, early losers in Beijing.

Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, the seventh seed, has done little since reaching the final at the All-England Club, where he lost to Nadal.

Russia's Mikhail Youzhny won his second title of the season a week ago in Kuala Lumpur and currently stands eighth in the rankings.

Seeds:

Rafael Nadal (ESP x1)

Novak Djokovic (SRB x2)

Roger Federer (SUI x3)

Andy Murray (GBR x4)

Robin Soderling (SWE x5)

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x6)

Tomas Berdych (CZE x7)

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x8)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x9)

Andy Roddick (USA x10)

David Ferrer (ESP x11)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12)

Jurgen Melzer (AUT x13)

Marin Cilic (CRO x14)

Gael Monfils (FRA x15)

Nicolas Almagro (ESP x16)

Sapa-AFP