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