Roger Federer never treated his 2019 US Open quarter-final loss to Grigor Dimitrov as a goodbye. He expected to be back the following year, and the goodbye never came.
Seven years on, the sendoff arrives on Tuesday night. The 20-time Grand Slam champion headlines “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York,” a Fan Week exhibition on the same court where he won five straight US Open titles from 2004 to 2008.
The format is light: one set of singles against Andy Roddick, then a set of doubles with John McEnroe against Roddick and Andre Agassi. When Federer first announced the event in June, he explained why he had chosen New York.
“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.”
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At Monday’s news conference, Federer said his four children, two sets of twins, were old enough to enjoy the night.
“The kids are getting older,” he told reporters. “They can also maybe enjoy a little bit seeing their dad play.”
He shut down speculation about a competitive return. Asked whether a wild card at a future major was possible, he said “no” nine times before adding a reason.
“There’s just way too many obstacles, and I’m too busy. All good and just a fan now, just enjoying watching.”
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His favourite memory from Flushing was already fixed. Asked about the five in a row, he went back to the 2005 final against Agassi.
“I loved the rivalry I had with Andre at the time. So playing him here in New York was extra special.”
Ceremony moves to Newport on Saturday
The bigger date is 29 August. Federer will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, alongside broadcaster Mary Carillo, the Hall of Fame confirmed. The ceremony airs live on Tennis Channel at 6:30pm local time.
Federer enters in the Player Category. His CV, as listed by the Hall of Fame, includes 237 consecutive weeks at world No. 1 and 103 singles titles. Carillo joins in the Contributor Category for her decades in broadcasting.
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Djokovic waits on 24
The Grand Slam that follows will play out on Federer’s old court. Novak Djokovic, 39, is still on 24 majors, one short of the all-time singles record he has been chasing since he beat Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open final.
His path opened last week. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew on 21 August with the right knee injury that has troubled him since Wimbledon.
“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue,” Sinner said in his statement.
The 2026 US Open main draw begins on Sunday, 30 August.
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