Roger Federer vs. Serena Williams: Hopman Cup Doubles Match Start Time, TV Info

Finally, tennis fans will get the dream matchup: The greatest men's tennis player to ever live, Roger Federer, facing the greatest women's tennis player of all time, Serena Williams.

The epic matchup will come at the Hopman Cup, when the United States faces Switzerland, with Federer and Belinda Bencic taking on Williams and Frances Tiafoe in a doubles match.

The stage is set for a historic matchup. Below, we'll break down the details of the New Year's Day matchup and preview the action.

Details

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 1

Time: The singles match between Roger Federer and Frances Tiafoe is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. ET, followed by Serena Williams facing Belinda Bencic at approximately 6 a.m. ET and the doubles match going down at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET.

Where: Rac Arena, Perth, Australia

Watch: Tennis Channel

Stream: Tennis Channel Plus

Preview

Trevor Collens/Associated Press

There were fears that the first-ever matchup between Federer and Williams wouldn't happen, with Williams dealing with discomfort in her left ankle. But she is reportedly fine and excited to finally share the court with Federer.

"I've been looking forward to it since I saw it," she said, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times. "I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is so cool.' So it's just something that, as a player, is something that you would dream of, to play Roger Federer."

Federer concurred.

"It's very exciting for both of us," he said. "I hope that a lot of tennis fans are going to tune in and watch it, because it's going to be one time and probably never again, in this kind of a competition."

He added: "We're both fierce competitors, and we always want to win. We try our best."

The Hopman Cup is technically an exhibition, though the potential for matchups like the one on Tuesday makes it an intriguing event. Williams and Federer have yet to compete in the same year, so Tuesday will present a rare opportunity.

Perhaps more importantly, the United States finds itself in a must-win matchup against Switzerland after losing to Greece. While Williams defeated Maria Sakkari in her singles match, Tiafoe lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas and the pair lost against their Greek counterparts.

One storyline to pay attention to: The doubles format is a bit different, with Rothenberg noting it's the "'Fast 4' format, with sets played to four games, no-ad scoring and a nine-point tiebreak at 3-all."

As for the pair's doubles resume, Williams has 14 Grand Slam titles and three gold medals (2000, 2008, 2012) in doubles play. Federer has far less experience in the format, though he did win a gold medal with Stan Wawrinka in 2008.

Realistically, the Hopman Cup is little more than a warm-up tournament for both players as they train for the Australian Open. But for tennis fans, Tuesday's matchup will represent tennis history.