Roger Federer will return to the US Open this August for a marquee exhibition event. But before he steps back onto the hard court in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Swiss legend left a fresh footprint in the red clay of Roland Garros.
Federer won the Paris men's singles title in 2009 and notched 73 wins across 19 appearances at the clay-court major.
Mirra Andreeva, this year's Roland Garros women's singles champ, was just 2 years old when Federer lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires. But the 19-year-old saw plenty of the Swiss on the French clay during her formative tennis years.
After she won her first major title on Saturday, Andreeva credited Federer for inspiring her to find her best tennis.
"I watched a lot of Roger's matches here," she said. "I'm not going to have, obviously, the same aura, like ever. No one is going to have the same aura, but I really want to try to impersonate the way he behaves a little bit on the court, because I love watching him on the court when he used to play."
Turning on the style, Andreeva won the title with the loss of a single set. She delivered a Federer-like performance in the final, outclassing qualifier Maja Chwalinska, 6-3, 6-2.
"Maybe [Federer's influence] helped me a little bit, because I wanted to look good on the court, not be frustrated or be not happy with how I play," added the new leader in the 2026 WTA Finals race.
"Also for the people, it's nice to watch how, you know, players try their best and fight and compete. I just felt like that's what I wanted to do, and that's what I was focusing on."
