Eric Hutchinson’s fascination with tennis became personal when his wife’s obsession with Roger Federer inspired one of his most unusual songs. Now, 16 years after performing at Rod Laver Arena, Hutchinson is returning to Australia for three shows in November 2026.
by Paul Cashmere
Eric Hutchinson’s return to Australia in November will reconnect the American singer-songwriter with a country that has an unusual connection to one of his most personal songs, Watching You Watch Him, written about his wife’s intense fascination with tennis great Roger Federer. Hutchinson will perform in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney from November 19 to 21, following an Australian visit that included a performance at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
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The Federer story emerged from Hutchinson’s 2012 album Moving Up, Living Down, where Watching You Watch Him turned his wife’s sporting obsession into a humorous account of feeling like an outsider in his own relationship.
Hutchinson says his wife became “deeply obsessed” with Federer, leading the couple to travel internationally to watch the Swiss champion compete. The experience eventually became the subject of a song that Hutchinson describes as a joke for his wife, built around the idea of a three-way love triangle involving a tennis player.
The song also provides a snapshot of a particular period in Hutchinson’s life, when Federer’s matches became an important part of the couple’s schedule and the results could influence the mood of the household.
Hutchinson explained that his wife’s interest in Federer went well beyond casually following tennis.
“My wife, who I love, and we’re celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary, became deeply obsessed with the tennis player Roger Federer in a very real, obsessed sort of way,” he said.
The couple began travelling to see Federer play, including watching his matches in different parts of the world. The Australian Open was also part of that routine, with Hutchinson recalling staying up late to watch Federer compete at the appropriate time for the US audience.
“I was sort of stuck in the middle because I love Roger and I’ve gone to a lot of his matches and we’ve had a lot of fun watching him,” Hutchinson said. “But I did sort of realise I was kind of stuck on the outside watching my wife enamoured with somebody else.”
That observation became the premise for Watching You Watch Him.
“As a joke I wrote this song all about being in a three-way love triangle,” he said. “It was sort of just a joke for my wife. But then it was pretty good. The song was fun. It was catchy.”
The story has continued to have a life beyond the original recording. Hutchinson recently attended Federer’s induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, an event that brought the subject of the song back into his immediate world.
“Roger’s still around, but it’s different,” Hutchinson said. “That song is kind of a fun reminder of this period where we were, I mean Roger just ruled our life and our schedule and everything.”
Hutchinson’s connection with Australian tennis venues predates his forthcoming tour. During his previous Australian visit in 2010, he performed at Rod Laver Arena, the centre court of Melbourne Park and the principal venue of the Australian Open.
He was aware of the significance of the location, even though his performance did not coincide with the tournament.
“I got a towel there,” Hutchinson recalled. “It was very cool to be there and perform in the main court area, which was funny and crazy.”
His interest in tennis had already become international through his wife’s Federer following. Hutchinson says the couple saw Federer play in Dubai, California and Miami, among other locations, although they never managed to see him compete in Australia.
The Rod Laver Arena performance therefore sits at an unusual intersection of Hutchinson’s touring career and the personal story behind Watching You Watch Him.
The Australian shows come as Hutchinson prepares a new album, Repeating Myself, which deliberately revisits the musical approach of his debut album Sounds Like This.
That record established the songwriting foundation for his career, including Rock And Roll, a song Hutchinson says he wrote as a 20-year-old before his professional career had taken shape. The song turned 25 in 2026 and remains a centrepiece of his live performances.
Hutchinson says Repeating Myself is an attempt to reconnect with the directness of his early songwriting, rather than reproduce his career retrospectively.
The new material includes Tell The Truth and King Of Philadelphia. Hutchinson describes the songs as upbeat, soulful and frequently piano-driven, reflecting the influences that shaped his earliest work, including Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, The Beatles and Billy Joel.
The approach also represents a return to the urgency he felt while making Sounds Like This. Hutchinson recalls that period as one in which he was effectively trying to establish whether music could become his career.
“I tried to write the way I was writing when I was younger,” he said. “It was fun to sort of reconnect to that kind of survival mode.”
Hutchinson’s November visit will be his first Australian tour in more than 15 years. His previous appearances included major venues and support performances with Kelly Clarkson and Jason Mraz.
This time the settings are more intimate, with Hutchinson scheduled to perform at Lefty’s Music Hall in Brisbane, Northcote Social Club in Melbourne and The Lansdowne in Sydney.
The return also gives Australian audiences an opportunity to hear the songs that have accumulated across Hutchinson’s career, alongside material from Repeating Myself.
For Hutchinson, there is one particular question hanging over Rock And Roll after its association with Australian television through Packed To The Rafters: exactly how Australian listeners now regard the song.
“I’m always trying to understand what that song is in Australia,” he said. “Is it just sort of like an annoying jingle that you might have heard on TV and you might know it but you don’t like it, or is it a song that reminds you of being young?”
The answer will come when Hutchinson returns to the stage. And while Watching You Watch Him may not be among the songs he considers a “mega hit” for the Australian shows, its story remains one of the more revealing chapters in his catalogue, connecting his songwriting to a personal relationship, international tennis and a memorable performance at Rod Laver Arena.
Tour Dates
19 November 2026, Brisbane, Lefty’s Music Hall
20 November 2026, Melbourne, Northcote Social Club
21 November 2026, Sydney, The Lansdowne
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