Roger Federer, 45, set to return, play exhibition at US Open - ESPN

NEW YORK — Roger Federer is actually nervous about his tennis.

The man who won five straight US Open championships during the height of his dominance of the sport is set to play again at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night for the first time since 2019. And he isn't quite sure how the game that perhaps nobody ever made look more elegant will appear now.

«I haven't played a singles set in, I don't know, [Hubert] Hurkacz at Wimbledon, maybe, so it's been five years,» Federer said Monday, referring to his 2021 quarterfinal loss in his last Grand Slam match. «I don't know how it's going to go tomorrow. So, there is a lot of uncertainty — but a lot of happiness that I can return to Arthur Ashe, a place where I have had so many beautiful moments.»

It's only one set of singles in an exhibition against Andy Roddick and one set of doubles with John McEnroe against Roddick and Andre Agassi. Federer, the winner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles, should be fine for those.

But a return to tennis beyond that, competing in major tennis tournaments in his mid-40s like Venus and Serena Williams?

«No, no, no, no. No, not at all,» Federer said during a news conference. «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.»

At 45, Federer still looks fit, and he said he enjoys working out in the gym. But he added that he goes through long stretches where he is rarely on the court.

His lengthy absence from the US Open has done little to dampen his popularity, based on the number of people around the grounds who were mentioning his name. The appearance of «Roger Federer» up on the big board for all to see again, ahead of his afternoon practice at Ashe, where