That moment when Roger Federer practiced at the 2017 US Open

NEW YORK—The toughest seat on Day 1 of the 2017 US Open wasn’t for Maria Sharapova’s night match against No. 2 seed Simona Halep in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It wasn’t for Denis Shapovalov’s US Open debut against Daniil Medvedev on Court 7, though there wasn’t empty space to be found within Court 7’s towering rafters.

The toughest seat of the opening day wasn’t for a match at all. Such is the case when any fan in the grounds can stand just a few feet away from Roger Federer.

As part of the multi-year renovations to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, an adjoined, above-ground viewing gallery was constructed to overlook Courts 4, 5 and 6 in the southeast quadrant of the grounds. From this vantage point, grounds-pass holders can watch the action from behind the baselines of this trio of side courts. And there’s a bonus perk: if fans turn around, they can watch practices take place on courts P1-P5.

Normally, this isn’t a big deal. Seats for practice sessions are typically plentiful, a refuge amongst the bustle in Flushing Meadows. But normal has never applied to the 19-time Grand Slam champion, particularly in this renaissance season, and especially in New York City, the Swiss superstar’s home away from home.

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As Federer ambled to court P1 just after 3:30 P.M. on Monday, a day before his tournament gets underway, the assembled crowd, five rows deep in both the elevated and ground levels of the viewing gallery, let forth a clamorous welcome. There were screams for Federer, and there were screams at one another—at times, it got testy. It was a viewing gallery in name only, as fans in the back were only able to see Federer from the video recorded on their phones, held high above heads. At least, that’s how I was able to watch him.

“Serena Williams is signing autographs on [practice court] 5!” one fan with an obstructed view yelled, hoping to clear some space. No one moved.

“There are zero seats!” an usher yelled to the mass of humanity. “There are five spots to stand in line.”

For denizens of Gotham, it was akin to a rush-hour subway—the RF local. So some fans decided to get creative:

Back on the ground level, a lady was offered a spot right next to the translucent screen for $50 (I honestly couldn’t tell if the man’s tongue was in cheek). When she replied, “we’ll probably get trampled on our way out,” I couldn’t help but think of the fanatics lying prone on the concrete above.

For those people with something of a view, they saw Federer striking a balance of casual and calculated, his typical practice mode. One minute, he’ll strike five crisp one-handed backhands to all parts of the court (to the awe of onlookers). The next, he’ll scoop a two-handed backhand—the SABR of his practice sessions (to the delight of the onlookers).

The loudest reaction, of course, came when Federer broke out the tweener—unsuccessfully, but no matter.

The most important sight, though, was Federer at what appeared to be full health. He moved briskly and showed no signs of the strain that defined his last match, a straight-sets loss to Alexander Zverev in the Montreal final. It was the first time all year Federer has truly looked his age, a splash of cold water to his rabid fanbase.

Any professional tennis player looks like a million bucks in practice. But there's a difference with Federer. If he ever wanted to sell tickets to his practice sessions, he could actually make a million bucks, too.

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