The 40-year-old has not taken to the court since this year’s Wimbledon, during which he bowed out at the quarter-final stage to Hubert Hurkacz.
Browsing: Hubert Hurkacz
The 25-year-old from Rome became the first Italian man to reach the SW19 showpiece after a 6-3 6-0 6-7 (3) 6-4 victory.
The Pole won 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
The defending champion dropped a set for the first time at the Championships to the 6ft 5in Pole, losing a tie-break in the second
According to reports on the ATP Tour website, Federer arrived on court for his BNP Paribas Open match on Friday to play his 83rd ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final against Poland’s Hurkacz, who was competing in his first.
Venus Williams celebrated her 19th main draw appearance at the Australian Open with a come-from-behind 6-7(3) 7-6(3) 6-2 victory over 25th seed Mihaela Buzarnescu on Tuesday, marking a successful day for some of the sport’s oldest active competitors.