Roger Federer Set for Historic Return at the Australian Open

20-time major champion Roger Federer will, for the first time since his tournament appearance in 2020, travel to Australia for a unique, first-ever Opening Ceremony held at the Rod Laver Arena next year.

Federer will be accompanied by fellow former world #1s Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, and Lleyton Hewitt in a special “Battle of World #1s” taking place on 17 January, the eve of the main draw.

Federer’s Legacy in Melbourne

While most of his success came on grass and he is more synonymous with Wimbledon, Federer is a six-time champion at the Australian Open, with fourteen years separating his first and sixth titles at Rod Laver Arena—the last of which was the twentieth and final major title of his career.

In addition to the six championships Down Under, Federer reached the final in Melbourne one other time, in 2009, where he and Rafael Nadal played one of the greatest matches in the tournament’s history, with the Spaniard winning in five sets. Remarkably, the duo would contest another Australian Open final eight years later in 2017, where Federer emerged victorious in yet another five-set classic.

In total, Federer won a men’s record 102 of his 117 matches at Melbourne Park, the last of which was a semifinal defeat to his other great rival, Novak Djokovic—a match in which Federer was reportedly hampered by a knee injury that not only ended his 2020 season prematurely but played a key role in bringing his professional singles career to a close at Wimbledon the following year.

A Long-Awaited Return to Melbourne

In a statement to the tournament, the Swiss expressed his delight at returning to a tournament where he has enjoyed so much success, saying:

“I’ve experienced so many emotions on Rod Laver Arena … the joy of lifting ‘Norman’ six times, the honour of playing in front of Rod Laver himself, the challenge of competing against my biggest rivals, and always the overwhelming love and support of the Australian fans. Coming back to win the AO in 2017 is one of my most treasured Grand Slam memories, and backing it up to win in 2018 was another dream come true in Melbourne. I can’t wait to come down under again to the AO and create more fantastic moments with all the Aussie fans.”

And now, more than half a decade removed from his last outing in Australia, the soon-to-be Hall of Famer is set not only to return to the Australian Open but to headline an entire event at Rod Laver Arena, in true Federer fashion.