Roger Federer played the ATP Finals at London’s O2 Arena for more than a decade. It was there, on 23 September 2022, that he played the last match of his career, at the Laver Cup. Four years later, almost to the day, on Wednesday 23 September 2026, he returned to the arena to see a room created entirely in his honour, backstage: the ‘RF Room’.
It is the first room at the O2 Arena designed to honour a sporting figure. Beyond Federer’s visits, it will also serve as a backstage space for artists and their teams during the concerts and shows that pass through the venue.
The number 45, his tally of appearances in the arena between 2009 and 2022, a record according to organisers, runs through the decoration: 45 racquets hang on the walls, 44 white and one black, signed by his own hand. The room also contains a specially designed table tennis table decorated with a visual chosen by Federer himself, along with a photograph of his farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup, placed in a prominent spot. Federer also personally helped choose the playlist that will play there.
Forty-five racquets on the wall, one by one, and only one black so it stands out. I’m not criticising. I’m comparing. At home, my husband kept his last three Donnay racquets in the garage, no labels, and we still knew which one was the good one. Whoever had to drill forty-five holes in that wall got nothing hung up for him.
The room will stay open after Federer’s departure, ready for the next artists passing through London, between rehearsals and tours.
It’s true, we checked: Tennis Actu.
