Friday 23 December 2016 15:50, UK
Roger Federer is confident that his six-month absence from competitive tennis will help prolong his career.
The 35-year-old has been out of action since losing to Milos Raonic at the semi-final stage of Wimbledon.
The 17-time grand slam winner underwent surgery on his left knee in February and missed the French Open because of a back injury.
He then announced in July that he needed extensive rehabilitation and would be sidelined for the rest of the season.
Now, as he prepares to make his comeback at the Hopman Cup on New Year's Day, the former world No 1 is hoping his body is ready once again to challenge for major honours.
"I do believe that it could be very beneficial for the future of my tennis career," Federer said.
"To have had this six-month layoff, rejuvenated, refreshed, maybe mentally, I needed this rest more than I thought.
"And maybe my body needed a rest more than I thought it would. I tried to look at the big picture, I hope it's going to pay off.
"At least one thing I know now is I have no regrets. I did everything this year to get my body back in shape.
"It didn't feel too gruelling, too long, too hard to go through this process. I have actually enjoyed it."
My body needed a rest more than I thought it would.
Federer will team up in Perth with Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic, having not contested the Hopman Cup for 15 years.
Until May of this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive grand slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the US Open of 1999.
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