Roger Federer and Serena Williams will play against each other for the first time in their careers on New Year’s Day during an exhibition in Australia. Paul Kane/Getty Images
PERTH, Australia — Serena Williams and Roger Federer have athletic lives of almost parallel excellence, which will finally intersect on a tennis court Tuesday.
The 37-year-olds are the only people to have won 20 or more Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era. They have won Grand Slam titles on the same court on the same weekend eight times, first in 2003 and most recently in 2017.