( CNN ) -- Roger Federer is not often upstaged . But ahead of a charity match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Melbourne , the 17-time grand slam winner played second fiddle to a bona fide Australian sporting great . In the arena which bears his name , Rod Laver -- a former world No . 1 and winner of 11 grand slam singles titles -- returned to the court . Before facing Frenchman Tsonga in a match aimed at raising money for the Roger Federer Foundation , the Swiss exchanged a few rallies with the 75-year-old who retired in 1976 . For Federer it was an opportunity to hit with his hero , even if Laver is n't the athlete he once was . `` Hitting with Rod Laver for me clearly is an absolute dream come true , '' Federer , who will be bidding for a fifth Australian Open over the next fortnight , told reporters . `` It 's in his arena as well , it 's named after him and he deserves it so much . He told me that his wrist was hurting less on the forehand so he asked me to play there a bit more often . `` While I was playing my racket was feeling extremely heavy , that means I was very nervous which I really was because you do n't want to miss a shot . `` I was happy we had some rallies . What an honour it was for me and I hope that the crowd enjoyed it and I 'm very thankful that he was willing to do something like this because it 's not normal in any way and that 's why I really appreciate it . '' While Federer will be competing for a winner 's check $ 2.3 million winner 's check at Melbourne Park , Laver earned a comparatively modest $ 1.5 million during his glittering 13-year career .
Roger Federer and Rod Laver delight Melbourne crowd by playing a few rallies . Federer was playing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a charity match to raise money for his foundation . Score: 6 The Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne plays host to the Australian Open finals .