"One of the reasons why Djokovic has been so successful is thanks to the Federer fans - they were actually helping Novak to win those matches" - Richard Krajicek

Richard Krajicek believes Roger Federer's fans have played a significant role in the success of Novak Djokovic. The 1996 Wimbledon champion also described the World No. 1 "as one of the toughest guys" he has ever seen in all of sport.

The two most notable examples of Federer receiving vociferous crowd support against his Serbian rival are, perhaps, the 2015 US Open final and the 2019 Wimbledon final. The Swiss lost the former in four sets and the latter in five sets after having two championship points.

Djokovic and Federer have both won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, one fewer than Rafael Nadal - who claimed a men's record 21st at last month's Australian Open. The 34-year-old Serb has won 27 of his 50 career meetings with his 40-year-old adversary.

In an interview with Tennis365, Krajicek claimed Federer's fans have inadvertently helped Djokovic through their strong support in matches between the pair.

"One of the reasons why Novak has been so successful is thanks to the Federer fans," Krajicek said. "The Federer fans when he played against Novak were so much pushing for Roger and thought they were helping him, but they were actually helping Novak to win those matches."

The Dutchman also weighed in on the saga over the Serb's visa and vaccination status which led to him being deported ahead of the Australian Open.

"There was a misunderstanding or a miscommunication between Novak, Tennis Australia, or Victoria (government)," Krajicek added. "If he thought he couldn’t get into the country, he wouldn’t have traveled there. That was not nice for Novak, not nice for the tournament at the beginning, but in the end it was a great Australian Open. I’m happy for tennis fans that in the end it was a great tournament to watch."

"Novak Djokovic is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen in sport and maybe it will fire him up" - Richard Krajicek on possible impact of deportation saga

Richard Krajicek went on to suggest that the disappointment of missing the Australian Open is different to any on-court challenges Novak Djokovic has overcome.

"What happened in Australia was tough for him and it will be interesting to see what happens in Dubai," Krajicek said. "Normally you would say this is going to motivate the guy and you don’t want to play him because he is more lethal, but this is different. He is used to fighting on the court with the crowd, his opponent and maybe himself sometimes, but this must have been difficult."

The Rotterdam Open tournament director then declared it was difficult to predict how the Serb would respond, while recognizing it could fuel him in a positive way.

"This is a total different pressure and a different disappointment than having the crowd against you or being match point down at Wimbledon and coming back to win," Krajicek continued. "But you know what, he is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen in sport and maybe it will fire him up. It’s tough to know how he will respond to this."

Djokovic is set to play for the first time this year at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which begin on 26 February. The 34-year-old is a five-time champion at the ATP 500 tournament.