If someone had asked tennis fans to build their dream doubles lineup, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi would probably have made the shortlist. The four former World No. 1s came together for a doubles match, which was under the headline program of “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York”, which celebrated the on-court return of the Swiss maestro in New York, having last played in 2019.
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At 67, McEnroe was the oldest of the four on the court, but that did not stop the American from competing. Even though it was all fun on court between the four, McEnroe cheekily let everyone know he meant business, as he launched a 101 mph second serve in the first game of the match, which, comically enough, he missed, after which he playfully tossed his racket, staying on-brand with his on-court demeanor from his playing days. Federer was not one to miss out on the fun, as he too tossed his racket, joining in on the on-court theatrics.
It was not only his serve, but the 67-year-old was also still able to return serves of over 100 mph from the likes of Roddick and Agassi, while being at his usual best with his volleys at the net. McEnroe did not hide the fact that partnering with Federer was almost comparable to him in a Slam final.
“We only hit once and then we played one set in Asia once in a doubles exhibition. So this is amazing. This is my US Open final right now,” said John McEnroe during one of the changeover interviews. The American played with intensity, while Federer was his usual serene best, still facing big servers like Roddick and Agassi and thrilling the crowd with his creative shotmaking.
The duo had broken the opponent’s serve in their first return game and, since then, had held their serve until 5-4. However, with the opportunity to serve out the set and finish the match, McEnroe was broken, with the scores being tied at 5-5. With Federer holding his serve one more time to make it 6-5, the Swiss-American duo broke to win the set 7-5.
For Federer, it was a double delight on his return to Arthur Ashe, as the Swiss won both his singles and doubles matches.