Federer to play tennis at US Open but rules out Williams-like return

What the report says

Roger Federer will return to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open in New York for an exhibition appearance, but he says he has no intention of making a competitive comeback. According to Al Jazeera’s report based on Associated Press coverage, the 20-time Grand Slam winner said he is going back for a singles set against Andy Roddick and a doubles set alongside John McEnroe, with Roddick and Andre Agassi on the other side.

Federer said he feels some uncertainty about how he will play after a long stretch away from singles competition, but he also expressed happiness about revisiting a venue where he won multiple titles. The appearance comes after several years away from the tournament following his 2019 quarterfinal loss, which turned out to be his final US Open match.

The article says Federer’s absence was linked to a series of knee surgeries after 2020 and 2021, and he later concluded that his body could no longer handle a return to top-level tennis. He also explicitly dismissed the idea of a Serena or Venus Williams-style comeback in major tournaments.

Beyond the exhibition, Federer’s New York trip is part of a larger farewell tour of sorts: he is scheduled to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, later this week. The report frames his appearance as a symbolic chance to thank US Open fans and close a chapter in a city where he became one of tennis’s defining figures.