The ATP No. 1 Club member and five-time Flushing Meadows champion is in New York, where he will play an exhibition Tuesday, before traveling to Newport, Rhode Island for his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame next weekend.
The US Open will always hold a special place in the Swiss star’s heart, having claimed five consecutive trophies at the season’s final Grand Slam tournament from 2004 through 2008.
“I guess it's just the streak of the five in a row that I was able to string that together is kind of surreal because I always knew how hard it is to win here, last major of the season,” Federer said. “Everybody is going through it. Everybody can play on hard courts and with humidity, the wind, I guess all of the changes over the years here it's just been a tough one. So I think looking back, that's incredible.”
Federer faced some of the best players in history at the US Open. Which match here was his most memorable?
“My favourite one probably is the match I had with Agassi here. I don't know, just felt like it was going to be a special occasion for him. I was defending champion and that just kind of made it super cool,” Federer said of the 2005 final. “The year before we played five sets, crazy winds over two days against each other already. I loved the rivalry I had with Andre at the time, so to play him here in New York was extra special.”
The last match of Federer’s career was in doubles in 2022 at the Laver Cup. So while the 45-year-old was still on the ATP Tour, he did not compete against some of the best players of today, including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, both of whom he would have liked to face.
“Maybe Carlos, I think he's exciting. I never got a chance to play against him or Sinner the same. We only practised together a little bit as they were coming up,” Federer said. “So I missed that generation, unfortunately, a little bit, there's a bunch of those guys I just missed just because of my knee issues. Obviously Novak would be cool too. I mean, he's still going strong and he's still hanging there, which is cool.”
On Tuesday night, Federer will step back onto the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for an exhibiton alongside Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe, all fellow members of the ATP No. 1 Club.
“It’s nerve-wracking, to be honest. I haven’t played a single set in, I don't know, is it Hurkacz [at] Wimbledon, maybe? It’s been five years. I don’t know how it’s going to go tomorrow, so there's a lot of uncertainty, but a lot of happiness that I can return to Arthur Ashe, a place where I've had so many beautiful moments,” Federer said. “I just get a sort of a chance to be with Roddick, McEnroe, and Andre. It's just nice to connect with the tennis community again.”
This is Federer’s last stop before his career is immortalised on Saturday in Newport. His family has tagged along, making the whole experience even more special.
“It’s nice to look back, I guess, one more time because life goes quick, especially when you have four children,” Federer said. “You stop remembering what you did or what you've been through. So it's like going into a time machine. Everything slows down for a second and you can actually look back one more time. I don't need it in my life, but it's nice when it does happen because my life on Tour was amazing. I loved it and now the kids are also getting older so they can also maybe enjoy the little bit, seeing their dad playing.”
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