By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Photo credit: John Walton/PA Sport/Getty
Roger Federer’s grass-court return will feature familiar faces and fellow Hall of Famers.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame today announced the line-up for the Hall of Fame Celebrity Pro Classic presented by Fidelity Investments.
Former world No. 1 Federer and trailblazing broadcaster Mary Carillo will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 on Saturday, August 29th.
The day before his induction, Federer will return to grass-court play in a special Hall of Fame exhibition on Friday, August 28th on Newport’s iconic grass courts.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer will be joined by an elite group of fellow Hall of Famers including Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Lleyton Hewitt, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Navratilova and Gabriela Sabatini. The Hall of Famers will be joined in doubles action by TV personality Joey Graziadei, stand-up comedian and former professional tennis player Michael Kosta and two-time Major champion Garbine Muguruza. Olympic alpine ski champion Lindsay Vonn will kick off the event in the umpire chair.
Approximately 30 Hall of Famers in full are expected to attend the Induction Celebration Weekend and will participate in scheduled activities, including appearances at Thursday evening’s Courting Fashion event presented by Chubb and during the Red-Carpet Pre-Show on Saturday, prior to the Ceremony.
Tom Rinaldi of FOX Sports will host the Induction Ceremony on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Tennis Channel will serve as the exclusive U.S. broadcast partner, with veteran Tennis Channel analyst Brett Haber opening the celebration. Additional international broadcasters will deliver coverage to audiences around the world.
The ITHF has secured international television partners that will deliver coverage across Europe and beyond, providing fans worldwidethe opportunity to witness the sport’s newest Hall of Famers receiving the ultimate honor in tennis.
Confirmed international television partners currently include:
- Sky Sports, NOW TV (United Kingdom)
- beIN SPORTS (France)
- Stan Sport (Australia)
- SuperTennis TV (Italy)
- BB Tennis (Russia and Belarus)
- Tennis Channel will also distribute the ceremony live internationally in the following countries: Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, UAE, SaudiArabia, Qatar, India and Mexico
Additional distribution agreements are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Federer brought the buzz and his all-court skills back to the Happy Slam last January.
Federer practiced with world No. 13 Casper Ruud then the pair played a tiebreaker before a packed and enthralled Rod Laver Arena crowd.
The session came nearly seven years after their one and only ATP Tour meeting when Federer repelled Ruud 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(8) at the 2019 Roland Garros.
Watch Federer successfully serve-and-volley against Ruud then surprise the three-time major finalist with a clean backhand return winner down the line at about the 3:25-mark of the video below.
For weekly episode drops of The Road to Newport, the 6-part series featuring Roger Federer’s rise to greatness, visit the ITHF YouTube page.
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