VOTE: How far would Roger Federer get at 2026 US Open if legend came out of retirement at Grand Slam? Expert has his say
Published 27/08/2026 at 17:51 GMT+1
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Roger Federer was back on a tennis court before the US Open as he played singles against Andy Roddick and then teamed up with John McEnroe to beat Andre Agassi and Roddick in doubles. But how would Federer perform if he played at the 2026 US Open?
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Video credit: SNTV
Federer retired from tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup after winning 20 Grand Slam titles, including five in a row at the US Open from 2004-08.
Along with rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Federer is regarded as one of the all-time greats of the game, with his total of 103 career titles putting him behind only Jimmy Connors (109).
But would Federer still be able to win if he was thrown into the 2026 US Open singles draw at the age of 45? TNT Sports expert Mats Wilander thinks so.
”He could definitely survive a round or two,” said Wilander. ”I'm not sure how the recovery works, but in terms of level, for sure.
"When he touched the ball with McEnroe against Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, he hit shots that look so simple compared to Andy Roddick, who is working every backhand volley with a body movement… Federer just stuck his racquet out, and you can see the quality that he has.
”And I think you can also see when he's playing, there's no fear. Like, McEnroe was worrying about double faulting.
"Agassi double faulted 10 times, and Federer, there was just a lightness of what he was doing, which means that his skill level and his belief in his skill level is so much higher than any other player that we've ever played against. He just understands the game.
”He doesn't have perfect technique because the one-handed backhand shouldn't really work, but he figures out a way to do that. And hands-wise and talent-wise, no one is close to Roger Federer.”
Federer is being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this month, with his career achievements also including spending a record 237 consecutive weeks as world No. 1.
"To me, he's the greatest of all time," added Wilander. "There is the best of all time, clearly Novak Djokovic, but the greatest of all time to me, and the guy that's done the most for our sport, is Roger Federer. No chance you can compete with that."
Federer was asked before returning to New York who he would like to play if he did return to the court competitively - and picked out two current greats.
”Maybe Carlos [Alcaraz], I think he's exciting. I never got a chance to play against him or [Jannik] Sinner the same. We only practised together a little bit as they were coming up,” Federer said.
”So I missed that generation, unfortunately, a little bit, there's a bunch of those guys I just missed just because of my knee issues. Obviously Novak would be cool too. I mean, he's still going strong and he's still hanging there, which is cool.”
Serena Williams’ return to the court at the age of 44 has been one of the shock storylines of the summer, but a similar comeback for Federer isn’t on the cards.
Asked if he would consider coming out of retirement, he said: "No, not at all.
"Thanks for asking. I wasn't sure if the question was going to get asked, but I'm happy you did so I can clarify in case anybody thought."
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