Roger Federer and Serena Willams faced off on court for the first time in a mixed doubles match on Tuesday. Tony Ashby/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
PERTH, Australia — After nearly two decades of appearing alongside one another on billboards and in record books, Serena Williams and Roger Federer faced one another across a tennis court for the first time on Tuesday.
The incandescent stars, now both 37, finally aligned for the first time in a mixed doubles match between the United States and Switzerland at the Hopman Cup team event.
On the opening point, Williams pulled Federer wide to his forehand side with a sharply angled volley, then sent a smash toward the opposite corner which he could not reach in time to send back.