The floodlights on Arthur Ashe Stadium will pick out four faces the US Open crowd has not seen together on the same court in a very long time.

Roger Federer and Andy Roddick will line up against Andre Agassi and John McEnroe on Tuesday, August 25, with first ball scheduled for 7pm local time. The USTA has billed the night as “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York”, and it is the marquee event of a US Open Fan Week running from August 23 to 29 before the singles main draw begins.

For Federer it is his first appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2019.

The night Federer chose to come back

The Swiss retired in September 2022 at 41. His post-career appearances have been carefully picked, and this one is loaded.

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“The US Open has always been one of the most special tournaments for me. So many unforgettable moments of my career happened in New York, and Arthur Ashe Stadium is a place that means a great deal to me,” Federer said in the announcement.

“I’ve missed being part of that atmosphere and feeling the incredible energy that the fans bring every year. To return to Arthur Ashe and share the evening with Andy, Andre and John makes it even more meaningful. I’m looking forward to celebrating those memories, seeing the fans again, and enjoying a very special night together.”

Between them, Federer, Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe hold 12 US Open singles titles. Federer beat both Roddick and Agassi in New York finals during his run of five straight US Open crowns from 2004 to 2008, a stretch nobody else has matched in the Open era.

Brian Vahaly frames it as legacy business

USTA chairman and interim co-CEO Brian Vahaly leaned into that history when the exhibition was announced.

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“Roger Federer is one of the greatest champions to ever step onto a tennis court, and his legacy at the US Open will carry on for generations,” Vahaly said.

The exhibition sits outside every other US Open ticket. Public sale opened via Ticketmaster and usopen.org on June 11, months before Fan Week began. Grounds Passes for the rest of Fan Week do not get anyone into Arthur Ashe on Tuesday night.

Then Newport, four days later

The New York night is the opener of a much bigger week. From August 27 to 29, the International Tennis Hall of Fame stages its 2026 Induction Celebration in Newport, Rhode Island, with Federer going in alongside broadcaster Mary Carillo in the contributor category. The induction ceremony airs on Tennis Channel on August 29.

Federer is also scheduled to play in Newport’s Celebrity Pro Classic doubles the night before the ceremony. That would put him on three different courts across five days, on the closest thing to a farewell lap he has done since retiring.

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