"I think Novak Djokovic uses this to fuel the fire he’s always played with, and I think we’ll still see an unbelievable level from Novak" - Darren Cahill

Renowned coach and analyst Darren Cahill believes Novak Djokovic will use Rafael Nadal winning the Australian Open as fuel to continue to play at an "unbelievable level." The former player also feels Nadal's victory will provide motivation for Roger Federer to make a successful comeback from his latest knee surgery.

World No. 1 Djokovic was forced to miss this year's Australian Open due to his deportation from the country, following a two-week saga over his visa and vaccination status. The Serb is a nine-time champion at the Melbourne Major and had triumphed three straight times from 2019 to 2021.

Nadal defeated World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in a marathon five-set final on Sunday to win his second Australian Open crown. The victory marked a record 21st men's Grand Slam title for the 35-year-old - taking him past Djokovic and Federer, who have both won 20.

Speaking to The New York Times, Cahill declared Djokovic will turn the disappointment of missing the Australian Open and seeing Nadal overtake him in the Major title race into a positive.

"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," Cahill said.

The former World No. 22 thinks the Spaniard's historic triumph will also fuel Federer, who is recovering from a third knee surgery in 18 months.

“I think what Rafa did can put a little fuel in Roger’s tank too," Cahill added. "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. I think that gave Rafa a lot of energy. Just hang in there and keep pushing and pushing. You never know what’s going to happen."

"If Novak Djokovic does return, I think we’re talking about Rafa Nadal and Novak going into the French as the co-favorites" - Darren Cahill

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal shake hands after their 2021 French Open semifinal

Darren Cahill believes Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be joint favorites to win the 2022 French Open if both compete. The Serb is the defending champion, having ousted 13-time winner Nadal in a brutal semifinal en route to claiming last year's Roland Garros crown.

"Look, if Novak does return, I think we’re talking about Rafa and Novak going into the French as the co-favorites," Cahill said. "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."

The Australian also contrasted Nadal's Australian Open final win over Daniil Medvedev with his epic 2008 Wimbledon final victory over Roger Federer.

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