It has spelled trouble for world No 1 Novak Djokovic with all members of the Big Three currently tied on 20 Grand Slams, meaning if Federer is to play in Melbourne, he will join Nadal in the quest to reach a record 21st Major title – a feat Djokovic missed out on when he lost the recent US Open final.
Nadal himself recently confirmed his comeback after shutting down his 2021 season shortly after Federer, and Cahill spoke of the goal to reach a record 21 Grand Slam titles.
He continued: “At his (Federer’s) age, 40 years of age, the fact that he’s even doing what he’s doing is remarkable. He’s trying to get 21.
“Rafa’s training his backside off, I’ve seen a lot of vision for him across in Spain and he’s working incredibly hard, so he’s going for 21.
“And the of course Novak, what he did in 2021, trying to win the Grand Slam which hasn’t been done since Rod Laver in ’69 on the men’s side. It was a remarkable year and for him to get all the way through to the US Open final, be pipped at the post by Medvedev, and Medvedev played amazing tennis, it kind of made that whole year.
“Remember also, with all that controversy with the Australian Open at the start of this year, had Novak not gone through that and won the Australian Open, he would never have been in mind to win that Grand Slam.”