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Roger Federer Celebrates Career with Exhibition Matches at Australian Open Kick-Off
- Rod Laver Arena's Opening Ceremony on Jan 17 featured Roger Federer, 20-time Grand Slam champion, in a doubles exhibition with Andre Agassi and Ash Barty against Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt before a full house of 15,000.
- Tennis Australia added the inaugural ceremony to expand the Open beyond 15 days and invited Federer as the star attraction to officially launch the Australian Open 2026 and boost entertainment.
- In a 35-minute practice streamed live on YouTube, Federer beat Casper Ruud 7-2 in a friendly tiebreak and signed autographs while fans reacted enthusiastically.
- The ceremony officially launched the tournament and broadened its entertainment offerings, with organizers saying the three-week festival drew 217,999 fans across six days and featured Crowded House, band.
- At 44, Federer returned to Melbourne after retiring in 2022, playing at Rod Laver Arena where Novak Djokovic attended; Federer said, `It really truly means so much to me when people like Rocket show up.
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51 Articles
Associated Press News+14 Reposted by 14 other sources
Roger Federer steals the show at Australian Open's first formal opening ceremony
The Australian Open's first formal opening ceremony turned into a Roger Federer celebration. On the eve of the season-opening major, Federer played an exhibition doubles match with Andre Agassi and Ash Barty against Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.
·United States
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Roger Federer match result as Andre Agassi replaced after 'd***' comment at Australian Open - The Mirror
The Australian Open opening ceremony took place on Saturday morning, while the tournament gets underway on Sunday, January 18 and runs to February 1 at Melbourne Park
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources51
Leaning Left14Leaning Right9Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Left
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
41% Left
L 41%
C 32%
R 27%
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