Roger Federer steals show at Australian Open’s first formal opening ceremony
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- The Australian Open held its first formal opening ceremony featuring a capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena, with legendary player Rod Laver attending courtside.
- Roger Federer, a six-time Australian Open champion, starred in an exhibition doubles match alongside Andre Agassi and Ash Barty, defeating Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.
- Novak Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open winner, attended the ceremony and is set to begin his main draw singles matches on Monday.
- The 2026 Australian Open was expanded into a three-week festival, attracting over 217,000 fans across six days for exhibitions, qualifying rounds, and the 1 Point Slam event.
- Federer returned to Australia for the first time since his retirement
