Roger Federer has said that he wants to rule the men’s game again. However, his tough competitor, Novak Djokovic, is reportedly a brutal reminder that Federer's dream of becoming World No. 1 again won’t be easy.

Ahead of his second-round opening match in Shanghai, where he is the defending champion, Federer granted an exclusive interview to That’s Mags’ Marianna Cerini. The Swiss tennis maestro talked about a number of topics, including his dream to become World No. 1 again. Federer said that he would like to have the chance to sit atop of the men’s tennis world rankings once again, but he knows it won’t be a walk in the park.

“I am aware it’s not likely,” Federer said. “Novak is just meant to be up there right now.”

Federer, who held the No. 1 spot for 302 weeks (the most number of weeks that a tennis player has ever held the spot), also prided himself that he was able to knock off the sensational Serb when they clashed twice this season. Federer beat Djokovic in Dubai 6-3 7-5. He also got the better of Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters, beating the Serb in straight sets 7-6(1) 6-3 to claim his seventh Cincy title. Their head-to-head series are tied at 23.

According to the 34-year-old, he would have to beat Djokovic at every tournament if he wants to reclaim the top spot, which he knows would be “hard” because of Djokovic’s amazing performance in recent years.

Djokovic is certainly playing some of the best tennis of his career. This season, the World No. 1 Serb had won eight titles including three grand slam trophies (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Djokovic also recently claimed his sixth title in Beijing after beating Rafael Nadal in the final on Sunday 6-2 6-2. This year, Djokovic has clinched the year-end World No. 1 ranking for the fourth time.

Both Federer and Djokovic are taking part at the 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters. They received bye into the second round as two of the top seeds in the tournament. Federer will begin his title defence against the winner of the match between Sam Querrey and Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Djokovic, on the other hand, will play Martin Klizan in the second round.

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