Roger Federer has returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement in 2022.
The tennis legend won six of his 20 Grand Slams at the Australian Open, including the last major of his career in 2018.
Federer has praised Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open and now he is set to return to the court in Melbourne.
The tennis icon has been advertised to play a practice session on the Rod Laver Arena with a three-time Grand Slam champion.
Roger Federer set for practise session with Casper Ruud
The Swiss star’s appearance in Melbourne will not be strictly promotional as he is currently down for a practise session on Rod Laver Arena on Friday 16 January at 2pm.
Federer is set to practise alongside Casper Ruud, who is looking to bounce back from his shock defeat to Fabian Marozsan at the ASB Classic.
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This will not be the first time Federer and Ruud have shared a court, having previously met in competitive action on the ATP Tour.
The pair played out a Grand Slam round of 32 match at Roland Garros, which saw Federer defeat the Norwegian on his favourite surface.
Federer swept aside Ruud in straight sets in a tournament which saw him reach the final four, before he was defeated by his great rival Rafael Nadal.
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Federer and Ruud barely overlapped on the ATP Tour but the Swiss star is well aware of the talent the three-time Grand Slam finalist has.
In 2017, Federer said he was ‘sure’ Ruud was going to be part of the next generation to follow on from the big three.
“When I heard he was born in 1998, my first year as a professional, it gave me chills. It makes me very old”, said Federer.
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Ruud, similarly, was full of praise for the 20-time Grand Slam champion he grew up watching as a child.
“He is absolutely unique in every way, an incredible cool guy, not that I know him personally, but you notice that he is very sympathetic wherever he goes.”
Federer and Ruud’s practise session is ticketed and is another high-profile event to take place on the Australian Open’s ‘Opening Week’.
