ATP Joao Fonseca Roger Federer

Federer will play an exhibition match with Fonseca in Brazil

Andrés Tomás Rico - 29 Oct 2026
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Federer will play an exhibition match with Fonseca in Brazil. Photo: Getty Images

The past and present will meet next month in December. The legend and the promise will face each other in a unique duel. Roger Federer and Joao Fonseca will play an exhibition match in Sao Paulo hosted by On, the clothing brand that outfits both of them. This will mark the Brazilian's first appearance after announcing his withdrawal for the remainder of the official season.

“Hey Roger, is it true that you are coming to Brazil?” asks Fonseca at the beginning of the promotional video. “Hey Joao, well, I guess you’ve discovered the secret, but I’m finally returning to Brazil after so many years and in December we will see each other at Clubhouse Nights in Sao Paulo, I’ll see you on the court, friend,” assures Federer through a voice note. “Let’s do this,” concluded the carioca.

Federer and Fonseca have played exhibitions in recent years

Since his retirement in 2022, Federer usually plays a couple of exhibitions a year, although most focus on small rallies and some isolated points; however, at the last US Open, he played a two-set match against Andy Roddick, where he showcased flashes of his perfect game.

However, the true dream of tennis fans is a future exhibition tour with Rafael Nadal. A year ago, the Swiss confessed to having had some kind of conversation about it. But the Spaniard, to date, has only picked up a racket once for an exhibition tournament last September at his academy, although he has confirmed his presence at another exhibition in Las Vegas in February.

Meanwhile, Fonseca, despite having started his career two years ago, has also participated in a few exhibitions. Notably, in the Laver Cup featuring Federer. Additionally, last December he took part in an exhibition match in the United States against Carlos Alcaraz, which marked their first encounter, although the official one came a few months later at the Miami Open.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Federer jugará una exhibición con Fonseca en Brasil