Roger Federer may be long retired from professional tennis, but the 44-year-old is still coming up with new ideas for how legends could continue to impact the sport without having to put on a broadcast headset.

Just before the Laver Cup’s September 19 kickoff, Federer spoke with CNBC and responded to the possibility of a tennis version of the PGA Tour Champions, golf’s over-50 circuit that allows legends to keep competing under a new umbrella. Specifically, in a matchup against Rafael Nadal, a familiar opponent that he’s seen over 40 times throughout their ATP runs.

“Yeah, why not? I love Rafa,” Federer said. “I’ve been playing a lot, so I’m trying to keep in good shape. I know that Rafa is also totally open to playing some tennis. It sounds terrible, seniors tennis, to us, but maybe we can create a tour, like a Fedal tour.” The idea came as John McEnroe absolutely fawned over the skill level of Carlos Alcaraz during the event. 

The idea is similar to the PGA Tour‘s model, which has been a mainstay since the 1980s. The PGA Tour Champions sees golfers over 50 qualify through career achievements, though players like Rory McIlroy vowed to never play on the circuit. 

For tennis, that could mean Grand Slam finalists, former Top 5 players, or Davis Cup standouts if they try to evade the eligibility rules of the old Champions Series that ran in the 2000s. That tour staged one-night, four-player events with semifinals and finals the same evening.

Federer officially retired in 2022 after a storied career that included 20 Grand Slam titles, while Nadal, now 39, stepped away from the game in 2024. Novak Djokovic, still active on the ATP Tour at age 38, remains the most prominent member of their generational trio. At the same time, Nadal is only 90 days older than current ATP veteran Gael Monfils.

Shortly after his retirement, Nadal found the fun in playing again, and he has an interest in playing in 2025, should his body hold up. “I feel like I’m finding the pleasure of playing again, having fun. I want to give myself a chance to see if my physique remains at this level or if it is only a temporary moment, and if it starts to go wrong again,” he said.

“I give myself time to see how I will feel after the Olympic Games, and then we will see what will happen, what decisions I will make.”

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History shows that maintaining such a series isn’t easy. The Champions Series struggled after the 9/11 economic downturn, relying more on appearance fees than the prize money today’s top athletes would expect.

Still, a version led by Federer and Nadal could carry a different kind of weight, blending nostalgia, genuine star power, and drawing a global audience to show they can still put on a show.