ATP Tour

Federer, Agassi, Hewitt & Rafter light up Australian Open ceremony

Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter and Ashleigh Barty put on a show Saturday night at the Australian Open, where they shared laughs during a fun exhibition doubles during the opening ceremony.

Under the lights on Rod Laver Arena, the crowd settled in when the four ATP No. 1 Club Members walked out together and then rose again when Rod Laver arrived to conduct the coin toss.

Six-time AO champion Federer quickly set the mood for the evening when he took the microphone and greeted the crowd as if he had never left: "I have missed you and it is great to be back. It’s just where we left off, so many memories and nice to dive back into it."

Hewitt was already bouncing on his toes, Rafter looked relaxed and Agassi scanned the arena calmly before play began.

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Hewitt opened on serve and it didn’t take long for the crowd to cheer. Federer framed a forehand lob that somehow dropped in for a winner over Rafter, drawing laughs from all four players and a shake of the head from Hewitt.

As the match went on, the contrast in styles was clear. Agassi joked about staying behind the baseline, while Rafter did everything he could to avoid hitting a forehand. Played in a first-to-four format, the first two sets moved quickly, with the match level at 4-2, 2-4, with the Australians winning the first set.

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 With a third set left to decide the clash, Barty arrived on court to replace Agassi. The former World No. 1 won the Australian Open trophy in 2022 before retiring and received huge cheers on her return. Barty quickly found her rhythm from the baseline, with her and Federer earning a 4-2 victory in the third set in front of record-time 10 champion Novak Djokovic, who was watching courtside.

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"It was beautiful," Federer said after. "It was fantastic. I couldn't be any happier. Just being back in Melbourne with my friends, legends, rivals, is always a thrill. I am a big historian of the game and looked back at who has paved the way for us and this is a beautiful moment for tennis and obviously I am looking forward to the Australian Open."

Agassi won the AO on four occasions, while Hewitt reached the title match in 2005. Rafter's best result came in 2001 when he advanced to the semi-finals. The Australian Open starts on Sunday, with Carlos Alcaraz in action. Jannik Sinner is the two-time defending champion.