Roger Federer 'back on court' ... with a padel

WATCH: Federer's farewell at Laver Cup ranked No. 4 in our Top 10 matches of 2022.

Roger Federer might've hung up his tennis racquets in 2022, but he's now tried his hand at another fast-growing racquet sport: padel.

The all-time great recently found his way onto the padel court at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with longtime coach Severin Luthi by his side.

"Excited to be back on the court with Severino," Federer wrote on Twitter, accompanying a photo of the two playing padel at night with a cry-laughing emoji and a sunglasses-clad smiley.

Padel, invented in Mexico in the 1960s, is a cross between tennis and squash that's played on a court that's a third of the size of a tennis court. Like its counterpart pickleball, padel has also benefitted from a surge in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic. But while pickleball has been thriving in the U.S., padel is the game of choice in Europe and similar locales.

Federer isn't the only recently-retired tennis pro to try out padel, which is usually played by doubles pairs. Former WTA players Roberta Vinci and Lara Arruabarrena have played international tournaments in the sport, and 2015 US Open women's singles finalist Vinci is currently ranked No. 66 in the world padel rankings.

Rafael Nadal's namesake tennis academy in Mallorca also hosts daily padel lessons and clinics. While the book might be closed on Federer and Nadal's tennis rivalry, might we see the next installment on a padel court?