India, Jan. 16 -- Six years after his final appearance at the Australian Open, Roger Federer returned to action at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday for the first time since 2020 for a practice session with Casper Ruud. The tennis legend is set to play an exhibition match on Saturday at the Rod Laver Arena, as part of the Grand Slam's first Opening Ceremony, which will also feature three more ATP No. 1 Club members (Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt).

The practice session was also a rare chance for fans, who flocked to the venue to watch Federer in action. They were left overjoyed as Federer showed his trademark shots, including his sublime one-handed backhand. Federer and Ruud trained in a tie-breaker scenario, and in the end,...