Absent from US Open, Roger Federer to judge t-shirt design competition

Roger Federer will miss the US Open next week but the 20-time Grand Slam champion will use his time away from the court to judge a design competition, UT GRAND PRIX (UTGP).

The competition, which started in 2005, uses T-shirts as a creative medium and is open to all artists to express their inventiveness. Every year, the organizers decide on a theme which the artists need to use for the competition.

This time, the theme is the Peanuts comic strips by Charles M. Schulz. Schulz, who would have turned 100 years old in 2022, was a big fan of tennis.

UNIQLO's UT brand t-shirts will be used for the competition. In addition to Federer, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and a team of Charles M. Schulz creative associates will also be part of the judging panel.

Federer confirmed his presence on the panel of judges in a video posted by UNIQLO on Twitter.

“I was assigned to serve as a judge for the UT Grand Prix 2022,” Federer said in a video. “This year’s theme is Peanuts, and this competition was realized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author Charles M. Schulz.

ロジャー・フェデラー選手がUTグランプリ2022のゲスト審査員に決定📣今年のテーマは PEANUTS です🏠ゲスト審査員に選ばれたフェデラー選手のコメント動画をご覧ください👀Roger Federer has been chosen to participate in the UT Grand Prix 2022 as a guest judge! Check out his message📹

— UNIQLO_Ambassadors (@UQAmbassadors) August 24, 2021

“Mr. Schulz was known for his love of tennis, and his works often depicted Snoopy enjoying tennis. In honor of Mr. Schulz, I have decided to participate as a member of the judges, and this is your chance to have your t-shirt designs sold at UNIQLO stores around the world. I look forward to your entries. Have fun doing them, and I’ll see you soon."

The winners of the competition receive a prize of $20,000 and the winning designs will be sold in UNIQLO stores worldwide next year. The winners of the top two prizes will also get the opportunity to travel to the United States.

Injured Roger Federer hopes to return in early 2022

Roger Federer stumbles during his men's singles second round match against Richard Gasquet at The Championships - Wimbledon 2021 on July 01, 2021 in London, England.

Roger Federer recently announced that he would be undergoing a third surgery on his right knee, ruling him out of the rest of the season. The Swiss was last seen at Wimbledon, where he was defeated in straight sets by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals.

Federer had only returned to the tennis circuit in March after being away from the game for 15 months. During that span, he underwent two surgeries on his knee. Despite his limited schedule, the 40-year-old is currently ranked No. 9 due to the adjusted ranking system in force.

In a statement announcing the news, Federer said he would be out for "many months" but hoped to return to the tour "in some shape or form." The earliest Federer fans could expect to see him back on tour would be in early 2022, possibly at the Australian Open.