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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
An Unambiguous Return
Roger Federer is returning to the US Open, but not to restart his career. The Swiss will play an exhibition evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as part of Fan Week, with Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe. The event has a simple purpose: to offer the New York public a farewell that Federer had never truly been able to give on this court.
His last match at the US Open dates back to 2019, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Grigor Dimitrov.
The context explains the attention. His last match at the US Open dates back to 2019, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Grigor Dimitrov. Injuries, followed by his retirement announcement in 2022, then closed the door on a final competitive appearance in New York. The 2026 event therefore allows him to close a chapter where he built a major part of his legend.
New York, a Special Place
Federer is not associated with Flushing Meadows solely through nostalgia. He won five consecutive titles there, from 2004 to 2008, a streak that remains one of the most notable achievements of the modern era. On hard courts, at a tournament held late in the season and subject to often-changing conditions, this dominance cemented his special connection with the American public.
The evening is designed as a moment of active remembrance rather than a static ceremony. Federer is expected to reunite with Roddick, one of his regular opponents in the 2000s, and then share the court with McEnroe and Agassi, two major figures in American tennis. The program therefore combines old rivalries, local symbols and the pleasure of seeing Federer with a racket in hand again at a stadium that supported him for so long.
No False Hope of a Comeback
The important point is also what this return is not. Federer has clearly ruled out the idea of a professional comeback. At 45, he is not looking to test his level against today’s tour, nor preparing for a tournament appearance. This is an exhibition event, controlled in its format and far removed from the physical demands of a Grand Slam.
This clarification matters because every appearance by a former star can fuel speculation. Federer retains a central place in tennis’s collective imagination, but his post-career life has taken a different shape: family, selected events, commercial commitments and a role as an ambassador for the sport. This return to New York belongs to that second sporting life, not to an attempt to return to the rankings.
A Useful Moment for Tennis
The US Open also stands to benefit. Fan Week has become a strategic space for attracting audiences before the main draw. Adding Federer, Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe gives the tournament an intergenerational lineup that goes beyond mere entertainment. It reminds casual spectators of the tournament’s recent history while building attention around the 2026 edition.
For Federer, the stakes are more personal. He can return without the pressure of results, in front of his children, now old enough to better understand what this stadium represents in his journey. The word farewell is often used too quickly in sports, but this time it fits the moment rather well: not a second retirement, not an empty publicity stunt, but rather one final salute to New York, in the setting where he won so much.
