Four years after retiring, tennis legend Roger Federer returned to the court on Tuesday night. The 20-time Grand Slam champion picked up his racket again to participate in the US Open exhibition alongside several tennis greats – and he had the most special supporters by his side on the night.
The Swiss tennis star pulled off a 6-3 win against his former rival Andy Roddick. He then teamed up with John McEnroe for a doubles match against Andy and Andre Agassi, which Roger and John prevailed 7-5. Roger looked right at home at Arthur Ashe Stadium as his wife and their four children cheered him on from the stands.
Roger's long-time wife Mirka Federer, whom he has been married to since 2009, was spotted in the crowd with their rarely-seen two sets of twins. The couple's 17-year-old twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, and 12-year-old twin sons, Leo and Lenny, were pictured on their feet as they applauded their dad's triumph.
© Getty ImagesThe kids looked so grown up for their ultra-rare family outing, which included Roger's parents, Robert and Lynette Federer.
Roger and Mirka welcomed their twin daughters in July 2009, followed by their boys in May 2014. Throughout their father's tennis career, the kids frequently travelled with him and were often seen supporting him from the player box at major tournaments. Now, they're all grown up!
© USTA via Getty ImagesRoger is very private when it comes to his family
While the world has seen him on the court countless times, Roger has remained incredibly private about his home life over the years.
In 2024, the tennis star gave a rare glimpse at his family life in his documentary Federer: Twelve Final Days, which chronicled the days leading up to his last ever tournament, the 2022 Laver Cup, before he retired from the sport. The documentary included intimate home videos that were not initially filmed with the intention of being publicly shared.
© Getty"I've always been very giving and outgoing when it comes to press conferences, talking to the media, with the fans, all that stuff," Roger told HELLO! exclusively at the premiere of the documentary, which was part of the 2024 TriBeCa Film Festival.
He noted that nonetheless there was always a 'private' area of his life that he thought: "Well, that's for the team. And that's for the family only to see."
"Not that I was hiding anything by any means," he continued, but emphasised: "I wanted that to be for us."
"I was convinced early on that I should have some footage of the inner circle just for my life, just for the kids [to see] when they grow up, that they remember [...] how it was, especially that very particular moment of my life," referring to his retirement.
© Getty ImagesRoger's one-night return
Roger returned to the US Open in New York on 25 August for the first time since 2019. The event, billed as 'Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York', reunited Roger with tennis greats as he took home victories in a one-set singles match and a doubles team up with retired American tennis star, John McEnroe.
Roger shared a photo taken of him from the night to his Instagram Stories, telling his 13.2 million followers: "Thank you."
The event saw some stars in the crowd as well. Cindy Crawford's actress daughter, Kaia Gerber, was spotted in the stands alongside her The Shards co-star Homer Gere, who is the son of Hollywood legend Richard Gere.
