Federer destroys Nadal in brutal 50-second service game

Roger Federer's serve was on fire against Rafael Nadal in Shanghai, and he showed his prowess with four-straight aces in one game.

Serving at 3-2 in the first set of Sunday night's final, Federer made it 4-2 in no time at all.

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The Swiss great reeled off four consecutive aces to wrap up the game in just 50 seconds.

Nadal had absolutely no answer to Federer's pinpoint serve, or any other aspect of his game as the World No.2 went on to record a dominant 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Remarkably, it was the second time this week that Federer has produced a sub-one minute game on serve, smashing three aces and an unreturnable in just 47 seconds against Alexandr Dologopolov in the Round of 16.

While Federer's serve isn't overly big, it is incredibly accurate, and it's little wonder the Swiss legend has the second-most aces in ATP history.

Unfortunately for Nadal – who could have claimed a record 31st Masters crown with victory – making any kind of inroads on Federer's serve proved impossible, the second seed imperious as he dropped just four points in the opening set.

Add to that seven aces, 16 winners and just five unforced errors, and it was no wonder Federer was soon celebrating moving a set ahead – a second hold to love doing the job.

Federer maintained his perfect record against Nadal in 2017. The top two players in men's tennis have met four times this year – three in finals – and on each occasion Federer has come out on top, his latest win keeping alive his hope of usurping Nadal to finish 2017 as world No.1.

with agencies