Six years following his final appearance at the Australian Open, Roger Federer is back on the courts of Melbourne.
The Swiss legend returned to Rod Laver Arena on Friday for the first time since 2020 for a practice session with Casper Ruud.
Federer, who retired from professional tennis in 2022, faced Ruud only once during his career. Their lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting came in the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2019, when Federer defeated the Norwegian in straight sets.
The 44-year-old clinched six of his 20 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open. He owns a 102-15 win-loss record at the tournament, according to the ATP Infosys Win/Loss Index. He last competed in Melbourne in 2020, when he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Federer is set to play an exhibition match on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena as a part of the tournament's first Opening Ceremony, which will also feature three fellow ATP No. 1 Club members: Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, and Lleyton Hewitt.
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