Roger Federer made his return to the Australian Open this week.
The Swiss legend is set to function in an exhibition match alongside ATP legends Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter during the opening ceremony, which takes place on the seventeenth of January, the day before the major draw begins.
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Ahead of the match, Federer, a six-time Australian Open champion, took to the observe courts with world quantity 13 Casper Ruud.
The two performed a tiebreak on Rod Laver Arena, which in the end went the approach of the 44-year-old.
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Roger Federer beats Casper Ruud in a observe tiebreak
Federer defeated Ruud in the shootout 7-2 in entrance of a packed crowd, proving he has still got it.
In a post on Instagram after the session, the Norwegian uploaded a picture of the two standing collectively with the caption: “Best practice partner in a while.”
Federer’s last tour-level conflict at the Australian Open came back in 2020, two years before he retired from tennis.
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That yr, he reached the semifinals at the first Grand Slam of the yr, but fell to longtime rival Novak Djokovic.
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Casper Ruud’s first opponent at the Australian Open
Ruud has endured a poor begin to his 2026 season on the ATP Tour, having begun his marketing campaign with one win and two losses.
He picked up a victory at the United Cup against Alex de Minaur, but was crushed by Jakub Mensik in Norway’s tie with Czechia.
Then, at the ASB Classic, he crashed out of the match in his opening match versus Fabian Marozsan, falling to the Hungarian in straight units.
Ruud’s first opponent will come in the kind of Mattia Bellucci, whom he has never confronted before on the tour.
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