Though Roger Federer has been selective with his appearances since stepping away from tennis, Shanghai is a place he keeps returning to whenever he gets the chance. On his 45th birthday, the former World No. 1 confirmed he’ll take part in the “Roger and Friends” celebrity exhibition match on October 16, and revealed the star-studded lineup joining him.

Federer will be play doubles alongside former Chinese player and two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na. Their opponents will be former World No. 1 siblings Marat Safin and Dinara Safina, the only sibling duo in tennis history to each reach the top ranking in singles. Announcing the lineup, Federer teased there’s still more to come.

“A pretty good lineup, don’t you think? And there’s more to come. See you in Shanghai,” he said in a video.

The exhibition will be held the day before the women’s singles final of the Shanghai Masters, at the Qizhong Tennis Center. Tickets are expected to sell out quickly, driven not just by Federer’s enormous popularity in China but by Li Na’s presence as the event’s local hero.

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Federer’s connection to Shanghai goes back to his two Masters titles there, in 2014 and 2017. He was also runner-up in 2010 and carries a 23-6 record at the event overall, numbers that explain why the city has become one of his go-to stops in retirement.

This marks the second consecutive year Federer has headlined the exhibition. He first played it in 2024, teaming with singer-actor Eason Chan against ATP pro Zhang Zhizhen and table tennis star Fan Zhendong, a lighthearted contest Federer and Chan won. He returned in 2025 alongside actor Donnie Yen, facing actor Wu Lei and former WTA pro Zheng Jie in a tightly contested match that saw Federer and Yen storm back to win 5-7, 10-8, 7-1.

Before either of those matches, Federer had also visited Shanghai in 2023, though that trip centered on a Q&A session with Li Na and Zhang Zhizhen rather than a match, alongside receiving the tournament’s Icon Athlete Award in recognition of his career.

Roger Federer is scheduled to play an exhibition event in the USA in late August

Shanghai isn’t the only stop keeping Federer on court this year. He’ll also appear in New York on August 25, during US Open fan week ahead of the tournament’s August 30 start, for an event called “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York” at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

He’ll be joined by American greats Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe for the exhibition, which is expected to comfortably sell out the venue.

It’ll be a meaningful moment for Federer, returning to the stadium where he won all five of his US Open titles.

“The US Open has always been one of the most special tournaments for me,” he said in a statement released by the USTA. “So many unforgettable moments of my career happened in New York, and Arthur Ashe Stadium is a place that means a great deal to me.”

The New York appearance also lands just days before another milestone: Federer’s induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on August 29 in Newport, Rhode Island, turning the back half of August into its own mini farewell tour before he heads to Shanghai in October.