Roger Federer beats Casper Ruud in a ‘tiebreak’ at Melbourne Park
It was just a training session but it was good.
It was as if no time had passed when 44-year-old Roger Federer stepped onto Rod Laver Arena against world No. 13 Casper Ruud on Friday.
Roger Federer walks to Rod Laver Arena to train with Casper Ruud.Credit: Getty Images
Almost four years after announcing her retirement from tennis and six years since her last Australian Open appearance, the 20-time grand slam singles champion returned to Melbourne Park to dazzle the crowd once again.
However, this time the situation is a little different; Federer has been invited by Tennis Australia to play an exhibition match as part of the slam’s opening ceremony on Saturday night, which will also feature Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.
The opening ceremony is a new addition that is part of TA’s effort to expand the event beyond 15 days of tournament play, and the Swiss legend is the star attraction.
Federer had admitted the day before that he was “nervous” and “excited” but there was nothing to worry about as he pulled out shot after shot from his back catalog to remind fans why he will always be one of the all-time greats.
Rod Laver Arena was packed for the shootout between Federer and Ruud.Credit: Getty Images
No referee and no phone calls; He spent just one hour on the field where he won the title six times: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 and 2018.
For the most part, the two didn’t push each other’s limits. There was laughter, talking, breaks, and lots of stop-starts; That’s what you’d expect when you’re messing around, or in Ruud’s case, preparing for a tournament.
