Federer Gives His Own Standing Ovation

Roger Federer received a huge standing ovation upon his entrance to Rod Laver Arena to play his first tour-level match since 8 July 2016.

But what brings Federer to his feet? Musicals.

“I’m always one of the first guys to give standing ovations because I think it’s really important because these guys do amazing,” Federer said Monday night in Melbourne after his first round win at the Australian Open. “The amount of memorising they have to do, I find that mind-blowing. I’m not very good at remembering stuff like that.”

But Roger certainly proved he’s remembered his way around the tennis court. The four-time champion, who had been sidelined due to a knee injury, opened his campaign at the Australian Open with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Jurgen Melzer. After the victory, he had musicals on his mind.

“I went to see ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in Perth [and] I met the cast afterwards. I really enjoyed that,” he said. “I saw ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Finding Neverland’ in New York. I liked both of those. They were completely different. ‘Finding Neverland’ was super emotional. We were all crying, all seven people that were there – my daughters, my wife, my mom, everybody. It was a lot of fun.

“I saw ‘Elephant Man’ with Bradley Cooper in London. I just admire that kind of performance. It’s life.”

The 35-year-old’s life in the Melbourne draw continues when he faces American #NextGenATP player Noah Rubin in the second round. No word on whether or not Federer will take in a musical in Melbourne before then.