Few people expected Roger Federer’s shock quarterfinal defeat against Grigor Dimitrov in 2019 to be his last appearance at the US Open.
Federer looked close to his best during the summer of 2019, passing up two championship points against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon before cruising through the opening rounds at the US Open in August to meet Dimitrov in the last eight. Leading by two sets to one, it appeared likely that Federer would march past Dimitrov to the semi-finals and battle to reclaim the title he last won in 2008.
But a back issue allowed Dimitrov to battle back into the contest and claim a shock five-set victory, with the Bulgarian seizing on Federer’s physical decline in a one-sided fifth set.
Still, Federer showed so much of his usual poise and class across the 2019 season that it seemed like he had plenty more to give in New York in the twilight of his career.
He would never play another competitive US Open match, missing the 2020 and 2021 tournaments through a knee injury that plagued the latter stages of his career. The Swiss great announced his retirement two weeks after the 2021 US Open.
Federer, however, holds no regrets about saying goodbye to a tournament he won five times in a row in such underwhelming circumstances.
“After Wimbledon that summer, I could feel on vacation that this is it. The knee can’t do it anymore. It’s tired,” Federer said on Monday. “I didn’t want to go to each tournament and do a farewell. I kind of let it come naturally to me.”
On Tuesday, Federer will return to the US Open court for the first time since that 2019 defeat against Dimitrov when he takes part in an exhibition match alongside fellow tennis legends Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and John McEnroe, which he described as an opportunity to say “thank you and goodbye” to the New York crowd that embraced him so warmly during his lengthy playing career.
“It really gives me a true opportunity to say thank you and goodbye, which is important for some – for me it is. It’s a nice thing to do,” Federer said. “I don’t know why it didn’t happen earlier… I didn’t want to look for it right away.”
Federer – the only player to win five consecutive US Open titles in the open era – was a regular fan favorite on Arthur Ashe throughout a glittering career that saw him win 20 Grand Slam titles. However, he said it is “nerve-wracking” to return to Arthur Ashe for the first time in seven years, stating that he has not played a singles set in around 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.”
Tuesday’s exhibition match comes four days before Federer is officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on Aug. 29, offering a chance to reflect on his tennis career.
“It’s nice to look back one more time, because life goes quick, especially with four children,” Federer said. “You stop remembering what you did or what you have been through.”
Federer, however, poured cold water on any prospect of him considering a wild card at a future major, as Serena and Venus Williams have done recently.
“Not at all,” he said. “The body is done. I’m very happy how I’m feeling. I’m just a fan now, just enjoying watching.”
Federer was the last man to retain the US Open when he defeated Andy Murray in straight sets to win his fifth consecutive title in 2008, with the tournament offering more unique winners than any other Grand Slam event in those 18 years.
Federer, who did not win another US Open after that victory in 2008, said the conditions in New York help create one of the hardest tournaments to win in tennis.
“It’s the last major of the year. Everyone is gunning for it. Everyone can play on hard courts. With the humidity, the wind, and also the changes here over the years, it’s been a tough one,” he said.
