Federer returns to U.S. Open for New York exhibition

Roger Federer is headed back to Arthur Ashe Stadium for a New York exhibition that turns one of tennis’s biggest names into a marquee attraction just before the U.S. Open main draw begins. The United States Tennis Association announced the event on June 8, setting Aug. 25 for Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York, with Andy Roddick, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi also on the bill.

The timing gives the exhibition outsized meaning. Federer last played the U.S. Open in 2019, and this will be his first return to Arthur Ashe Stadium since then. It also lands only four days before his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, where Federer is part of the Class of 2026 alongside Mary Carillo in the Contributor Category.

Federer’s resume in New York helps explain why the USTA wants him back now. He won the U.S. Open five consecutive times from 2004 through 2008 and finished with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a record that still gives his appearances immediate commercial pull. The U.S. Open itself is scheduled for Aug. 23 through Sept. 13, 2026, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with Arthur Ashe Stadium as the centerpiece arena. Federer’s exhibition arrives in the week before singles play starts, so it is less about competition than about spectacle, memory and the business of keeping the tournament’s biggest names visible.

That makes the event part nostalgia, part brand strategy. The USTA gets a headline draw capable of driving attention and ticket demand while linking the current tournament to one of its most iconic champions. The Hall of Fame is making a similar bet on star power, with its 2026 induction celebration running Aug. 27-29 and the formal ceremony set for Saturday, Aug. 29 on the historic Horseshoe Court. It is also promoting a Celebrity Pro Classic tied to the same weekend, extending Federer’s return into a broader summer tennis showcase that connects eras, audiences and revenue.