On Tuesday, Roger Federer made a return to Arthur Ashe Stadium, one of the many iconic tennis venues where the Swiss legend left his mark during his illustrious career. Federer, who retired in September 2022, was at Flushing Meadows for the evening session of the US Open, which featured a women’s singles quarter-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen, as well as a men’s singles quarter-final between Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe.
Federer was warmly welcomed by the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he was introduced during the second set of the US Open quarterfinal between Sabalenka and Zheng.
Earlier in the day, Federer had appeared on the Today show, where he discussed the doping controversy involving Italian World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. During the match, the spectators gave Federer a warm ovation as he was introduced to the crowd in the stadium.
Federer, who claimed five consecutive US Open titles from 2004 to 2008, remains the last man to have won back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows. He also reached the finals in 2009 and 2015 and boasts an impressive record of 89 wins and 14 losses at the US Open. His last appearance at the tournament was in 2019 when he reached the quarterfinals.
This marked Federer’s first visit to the venue since retiring. He announced his retirement in 2022, with his final official match taking place at Wimbledon the previous year.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding Sinner, Federer expressed concerns about the inconsistency in doping punishments. Sinner, who tested positive twice for the banned substance clostebol, avoided a ban and continued competing.
Critics have pointed out that Sinner was allowed to participate in competitions despite being under investigation. Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, noted the disparity in resources between top-ranked players like Sinner and lower-ranked athletes, highlighting that Sinner’s team could afford expert legal and scientific support to defend his case.
Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam titles during his career, addressed concerns about the fairness of the process. “I understand the frustration of, ‘Has he been treated the same as others?’ I think that’s the issue here. We all trust that Jannik didn’t do anything wrong, but the inconsistency in allowing him to continue playing while there were still uncertainties is what raises questions. But we must also trust the process of everyone involved here,” he said.
