‘Rafael Nadal can put a little fuel in Federer’s tank,’ Darren Cahill believes Nadal’s Australian Open triumph will ‘energize’ Big Three

‘Rafael Nadal can put a little fuel in Federer’s tank,’ Darren Cahill believes Nadal’s Australian Open triumph will ‘energize’ Big Three

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal produced one of the classiest comebacks in the modern era, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev from two sets down to claim his second Australian Open title on Sunday. The Spaniard was down and out, and at one point it seemed as if the Russian would run away as the winner in straight sets.

Renowned tennis coach, Darren Cahill believes Rafael Nadal’s triumph in Melbourne will re-energize the Big Three. Obviously, Novak Djokovic could not compete at Australian Open 2022, because he was deported back home over visa issues. However, Cahill, who has been a former coach of American tennis legend, Andre Agassi believes that if the Serbian manages to compete at French Open, he will be a joint favorite with Rafael Nadal.

Cahill believes that Novak Djokovic could produce an unexpected level of tennis, after seeing his rival claim a 21st Grandslam title.

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“Look, if Novak does return, I think we’re talking about Rafa and Novak going into the French as the co-favourites. Obviously you’ve got to be able to beat Rafa over five sets on clay, and we’ve seen how difficult that’s been, but Novak has been pretty damn impressive there the last few years,” Cahill told New York Times, as quoted by Tennis 365.

“I think Novak uses this to fuel the fire he’s always played with, I think he’s still searching for improvement in his game, and I think we’ll still see an unbelievable level from Novak over the next couple of years,” he added.

Darren Cahill expects Roger Federer to be inspired by Rafael Nadal’s success at Australian Open 2022

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Darren Cahill believes that Rafael Nadal’s second title in Melbourne can also inspire Roger Federer to make a comeback and claim his 21st Grandslam title. As for the Swiss maestro, there is a long road to recovery, but he is determined to come back and give it one final shot.

Roger Federer’s most realistic chance of winning another major comes at Wimbledon, a title which he has won on eight occasions, the last of which came in 2017. French Open is generally dominated by Rafael Nadal, whereas, Federer may not be able to compete against the likes of the Next Gen players on hard courts.

“I think what Rafa did can put a little fuel in Roger’s tank, too, Roger could say, ‘If Rafa is out there still doing it, why can’t I do it if I get healthy and still have that love of the game?’ So, I think this energizes the Big Three,” he added.

“That Wimbledon was two athletes in the prime of their careers playing unbelievable tennis, this was a little bit different because of the road Rafa had travelled to get there and the history behind it,” Cahill added.

Also Read: “In 7-10 days” Novak Djokovic to address the entire Australian Open fiasco for the first time