Roger Federer to Play Exhibition at US Open but Declines Full Return

Roger Federer is set to play an exhibition match at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open, marking his first competitive appearance there since 2019.

The one-set singles exhibition against Andy Roddick and a doubles set with John McEnroe will be Federer's only matches, as he ruled out a full return to competitive tennis like Venus and Serena Williams.

Federer said, "I haven’t played a singles set in, I don’t know, [Hubert] Hurkacz at Wimbledon maybe, so it’s been five years." He expressed uncertainty about how the match would go but happiness about returning to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

He added, "No, no, no, no. No, not at all," when asked if he planned to compete in major tournaments again at his age.

Despite being 45, Federer remains fit and enjoys workouts but spends long stretches off the court. Fans showed strong enthusiasm upon seeing his name at the stadium, where he won five straight US Open titles from 2004 to 2008.

Federer's visit to New York is part of his journey to Newport, Rhode Island, where he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

He never had a formal goodbye to New York as a player since his last US Open match in 2019, losing in the quarterfinals to Grigor Dimitrov. Earlier that year, he reached the French Open semifinals and Wimbledon final.

Federer underwent knee surgeries in 2020 and 2021, which led to the end of his competitive career. He recalled, "The knee can’t do it any more. It’s tired. The mind can’t be patient even more and wait for another couple years and see what happens."

He acknowledged the exhibition won't be "real tennis" and joked about keeping the match respectful with Roddick. Federer sees this event as an opportunity to say thank you and goodbye to his fans.

"It’s a nice thing to do, for sure," Federer said about the exhibition match.