Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer set to clash at Shanghai Rolex Masters Swiss ace Roger Federer (L) with Australian Lleyton Hewitt . ROGER Federer is relishing revenge against Lleyton Hewitt at the Shanghai Rolex Masters this week, with the pair on course for a second-round showdown. Wildcard Hewitt must defeat Andreas Seppi today (Monday) to advance to the second-round clash where Federer has automatically qualified following a first-round bye. While Federer leads the head-to-head meetings between the pair 18-7, they have not played each other since 2011. "It's a difficult first match for me," Federer said. It would be great to play Lleyton, we go back a long way and I remember playing him in Shanghai when the first Masters Cup was here, he beat me in the semi-finals and went on to win the tournament. We have had some amazing matches. Even if I play Seppi, that will also be tough because he is a very good player. Roger Federer of Switzerland gives his autographs to fans during a fan meeting event ahead of the Shanghai Masters at Qizhon Tennis Center. I have been coming to Shanghai almost every year since 2002 and this is one of my favourite tournaments of the year and we look forward to a good week. Hewitt crashed out in the second round of the China Open in Beijing last week 6-0, 6-2 to Italy's Fabio Fognini and will be looking to rebound with some form in Shanghai ahead of the Australian summer. While the world's No.1 and No.2 players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are favourites for this $6.2 million all-male event, China has a fascination for Federer that is unparalleled. He was given a hero's welcome upon arrival in Shanghai at the weekend, and was a guest of honour at a special gala dinner alongside his idol, Australian legend Rod Laver, last night. Djokovic is the defending Shanghai Masters champion but will officially lose his world No.1 ranking to Nadal today, after the Spaniard qualified for the China Open final. Roger Federer of Switzerland practices ahead of the Shanghai Rolex Masters at Qizhon Tennis Centre. Djokivic has held the top ranking since June 2011, an impressive 101 weeks, but Nadal's superb recent form has forced the takeover. Nadal is unbeaten since June when he lost in the first round at Wimbledon, and has claimed 10 ATP World Tour titles in 2013. Federer is sixth in the rankings and this year has struggled to deliver the form that saw him become the most successful tennis player in history with 17 Grand Slam titles. Now Nadal, with 13 Majors to his name and in the midst of a career-resurgence following several years hampered by injury, hopes to beat Federer's remarkable record. "Here we were 27 years old and it's much more than what I ever dreamed," Nadal told Tennis X. "So I'm going to try to keep working hard. If I'm able to do it, I am able to be healthy and to compete well for the next four years, I going to try to create opportunities to keep wining in important tournaments. The normal thing is that will not happen. But if that happens or not ... the only thing I am sure [of] is when I am going to leave this tour, I am going to be very happy about what I did. Nadal and Andre Agassi are the only players in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open) and an Olympic gold medal in men's singles in their careers. "I tried everything in every practice, in every match," Nadal said of his career thus far. I gave everything. When you try your best everyday, that's all that you can do. I think I did. So that's why I am going to be happy. Should Federer get past the qualifying rounds in Shanghai he would likely meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals, while any possible showdown with Nadal would be in the final. The writer is a guest of the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the ATP World Tour.