Roger Federer is heading into a rare stretch of public tennis commitments, with a schedule that marks his busiest week in the sport since his farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup.

The Swiss great is due to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, from 27 to 29 August, where Mary Carillo will also be honored. In addition, Federer will return to the US Open for Opening Week, taking part in an exhibition doubles match.

His appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium is set for Tuesday, August 25th, when he is scheduled to team up with Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, and Andre Agassi. Federer is already in Flushing Meadows, and his first on-court session has been added to the practice schedule with a former top 10 player on the ATP Tour.

That player is Lorenzo Musetti, with the pair set to hit together on Arthur Ashe on Monday, August 24th, between 3pm and 4pm. Musetti is one of the highest ranked players using a one-handed backhand, a shot that became one of Federer’s defining weapons during his ATP Tour dominance.

Their session is scheduled after Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, who will also be on Arthur Ashe Stadium as they prepare for their US Open mixed doubles appearance.

Even in practice, Federer remains one of the sport’s biggest attractions. His record at the US Open underlines why his return draws so much attention. He won the event five times in a row from 2004 to 2008, a run that has not been matched in the Open Era.

Federer went 89-14 at the tournament, a winning rate of 86%, making it his second-best Grand Slam by that measure behind only the Australian Open. His final competitive US Open appearance came in 2019, when he reached the quarter-finals before losing in five sets to Grigor Dimitrov.

Across 24 appearances in New York, he was never beaten in the first round. His earliest main-draw exit came in 2000, when, aged 19, he lost in the third round to Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Nick Kyrgios is facing a ban after testing positive for cocaine earlier this year, and the fallout has now reached the exhibition calendar. The Australian has appeared only intermittently during the 2026 season, with his most notable run coming on grass, but he is now heading for another spell away from competition.

Kyrgios addressed the situation in a statement, saying: “I wanted you to hear this from me first. I recently failed a drug test in Mallorca after testing positive for cocaine. I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it.

“I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors, and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets, and I’m deeply disappointed in myself.

“I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been. The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally.

“My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being nearer the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.

“I’ve always said I didn’t choose tennis – tennis chose me. But letting go of something that has been my whole life is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face. At times I’ve felt hopeless and alone.

“None of that excuses what I did. However, the good news is that this has given me a wake-up call. For the next 28 days, I’ll be stepping away from social media and public life while I focus on getting myself right.

“I’d ask that people respect my privacy during that time, and most importantly the privacy of my family. I’m sorry, I’ll do the work and come back better.”

The latest development is that Kyrgios will not take part in the 2026 Kooyong Classic, despite being named for the Australian event earlier in the year. In a press release announcing Learner Tien and Arthur Fils for the 2027 edition, the tournament stated: “*Note: Nick Kyrgios is no longer part of the confirmed field for the 2027 Kooyong Classic.”

That makes the Kooyong Classic the first tournament to sever ties with Kyrgios after the positive test.

The event has long served as an important Australian Open warm-up, dating back to its first staging in 1988. Kyrgios featured there as recently as 2026, even though he chose not to play singles at the Australian Open immediately after the exhibition.

In 2026, Kyrgios beat Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 at the tournament. The men’s title was won by Karen Khachanov, while Alex Eala took the women’s event.

It is also worth noting that the Kooyong Classic is not affiliated with the ATP Tour, meaning Kyrgios could have appeared there even if he were serving a suspension from competitive tennis.

At this stage, it remains unclear whether the decision to remove him came from the Kooyong Classic or from Kyrgios himself.

Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the US Open, bringing an abrupt end to his hopes of competing in New York this year because of a right knee injury.

The Italian has not appeared in a tournament since lifting Wimbledon in July, and talk around his fitness had already started to gather before he made the announcement. In confirming the decision, Sinner revealed that this will be his first Grand Slam absence since 2019.

On social media, Sinner wrote: “Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year.

“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue. I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.

“I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

Greg Rusedski then gave his view on the withdrawal, saying he believes the injury may have first surfaced during Wimbledon. Speaking on Off Court with Greg Rusedski, the former US Open finalist pointed to the slide in the opening round as a possible turning point, adding that Sinner may have then aggravated the problem again in practice after receiving medical attention.

Rusedski also backed the decision to step aside rather than compete through pain. “He’s taking the smart route,” said the former world No. 4. “Let’s not play, let’s take care of the body, I’ve got to think of the next decade. And for all of us, it’s a bit of surprise because we were talking about, okay, is he going to win all the Master series in one year, what’s going to happen with Jannick Sinner, but you know, he consulted his doctors, didn’t play a lead up tournament and decided to pull out.

“So that’s a smart thing. We hope it’s not too serious because we’ve missed Carlos Alcaraz for such a long period of time, we don’t want to miss Jannik Sinner.

“This rivalry was heating up, we were having our new big three, as you described it, whether you add Zverev or you add Djokovic in the mix and everything was getting exciting.

“So missing Sinner at the US Open is a big blow and who knows where Carlos is going to be when he gets to New York as well. So, so many question marks.”

Alcaraz is due to play his first tournament in five months at the US Open after a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open. He will be the second seed in the draw, behind Alexander Zverev, following Sinner’s withdrawal from the final Grand Slam of the year.