Federer must prepare mentally for final match, says Berdych. Roger Federer has nothing left to prove as he sets his sights on a comeback next year but the 40-year-old must be mentally prepared for playing his final match, according to one of his former rivals Tomas Berdych. Swiss maestro Federer has not played since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July and underwent a third knee operation in the summer, saying last month that he was looking at mid-2022 as a likely return date. Inevitably, the longer the 20-time Grand Slam champion is away from the Tour the more speculation there will be about his golden career coming to a close. Long-time top-10 resident Berdych, who retired two years ago aged 34, says Federer will want to come back on his own terms. Australian Mark Philippousis, whom Federer beat in the 2003 Wimbledon final to begin his Grand Slam collection, knows only too well the difficulties of recovering from injuries, but thinks Federer’s hunger to compete remains intact.
