Is Roger Federer’s Comeback Appearance In Shanghai The Start Of Something Bigger?

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Roger Federer is set for a comeback.

Well, not the kind of comeback fans were looking for.

Federer will return to a public tennis court in front of fans when he plays in the “Roger & Friends” celebrity exhibition match on October 10 in conjunction with the Shanghai Masters ATP 1000-level event in China. The event will mark the first time Federer will be competing in public since his Laver Cup career finale in 2022

It will be his first time competing in Shanghai since his 2017 victory, where he won his second singles title at the tournament. Federer will play with Chinese actors Wu Lei and Donnie Yen and Jie Zheng Jie, the former world No. 3 in doubles and a 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles champion.

While this “comeback” in a celebrity “hit and giggle” match is nothing overly competitive – and something that certainly wouldn’t have qualified for an entry in the “On This Day In Roger Federer History” book (which you can buy, download of get as an audio book here: https://a.co/d/hExc0c8) this could be the start of fans seeing more of Federer on courts in the future. While Federer has not played tennis in front of paying fans in any exhibition matches since his retirement, he certainly has been spotted frequently in private hitting tennis balls. While attending Wimbledon in 2025, Federer was seen hitting balls on multiple days on the practice courts  Shortly after Wimbledon, Federer was seen in Mallorca with his rival and friend Rafael Nadal and while the two were seen on social media playing golf together, one has to speculate that the two may have been discussing a potential series of exhibition matches in the future. Of course, Nadal’s nagging foot injury will have to fully heal and Federer’s knee will have to return to near full strength so they can actually play entertaining tennis. Certainly a Federer vs. Nadal exhibition series would be a blockbuster and be lucrative for them and the promoters and would be massively popular among fans.

In the meantime, it will be the celebrity match in Shanghai. In a promotional video for the event Federer said, “Hello, this is Roger, and I am really happy to be returning to Qizhong Stadium in Shanghai for the Rolex Shanghai Masters. ”Shanghai has always been a special place for me, with great fans, unforgettable memories, and a real love for the game.”

Federer, now 44 years old. Won 20 major singles titles, including a record eight at Wimbledon. He held the World No. 1 spot for a record 310 weeks—237 of them consecutively—and won a total of 103 ATP singles tournaments. Federer also earned Olympic gold in men’s doubles with Stan Wawrinka in 2008, along with a silver medal in singles at the 2012 Olympics. Earlier this year, Federer joined Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in a touching ceremony at Roland Garros to honor Nadal’s extraordinary legacy, highlighted by Nadal’s record 14 French Open victories.