Rafael Nadal: 5 Reasons Australian Open 2012 Will Expose Rafa

Was Rafael Nadal's 2011 really that disappointing, as so many people say?

I mean, he won one Grand Slam title, after all. And his struggles really just came at the hands of one man, Novak Djokovic.

Sure, he lost to David Ferrer in last year's Australian Open, but it was Djokovic who continually knocked off Nadal when he was seemingly at his best.

So in essence, Nadal struggled with one player. In the world. I guess for Nadal that can be seen as a disappointment, but I feel like he's being underrated going into this tournament. 

With that being said, however, the Spaniard has a few things working against him that might not let him "bounce back" in Australia. 

Injury Concerns?

For now it appears minor, but according to USA Today, Rafael Nadal is dealing with a shoulder injury.

"My shoulder is good," Nadal said. "I'll try to do my best."

Obviously this isn't currently a concern, but it's his strong (left) shoulder, so it could eventually turn into a problem. Let's see how it holds up after he goes through three or four matches before we call him 100 percent healthy.

Exhaustion

In a recent interview with Sport, Rafael Nadal said, "I see myself capable of having a good tournament but you never know. I am happy with the level of my game, of how I am doing things and I think I am sowing seeds that will bear fruit. But maybe not in Australia."

Eesh. That doesn't exactly exude a whole lot of confidence and it's not really the attitude Nadal wants to take to Australia.

I'm sure he was just trying not to be overly-confident like so many athletes do, but this is a concerning comment nonetheless.

Nadal went on:

"Mental, and in some moments also physical fatigue, but mainly mental. In some moments the season was a bit heavy for me. It is many years of a routine, of maximum intensity every week."

It seems as if Nadal is a bit tired heading into Australia.

Recent Struggles in Australia

It's no secret that Nadal is worst on a hard surface. 

That fact has reared its ugly head the last two years in Australia, and it wouldn't be surprising to see it happen again.

Last year, Nadal dropped in straight sets against Ferrer in the quarterfinals. The year before that, he was headed the same way before he bowed out against Andy Murray due to knee problems. He was down in the third set, 3-0, after losing the first two.

The two quarterfinal exits are Nadal's two worst Grand Slam finishes in the last two years. Simply put, he struggles in Australia. 

Coming in off a Disappointing Loss

Nadal had the opportunity to prepare for Australia last week on the hard courts in Qatar.

Unfortunately for Rafa, he ran into Gael Monfils in the semifinals. 

Monfils had only beat Nadal once in nine meetings, but he came out with a strong first serve. Monfils won fairly easily, 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal noted that he was happy about his performance and stressed that this wasn't a setback before Australia, but it isn't a good precursor. Rafa already had enough to worry about, but now it appears you can add Gael Monfils to the list of players who will give the world's No. 2 problems on a hard court. 

Novak Djokovic

Last year, Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in six finals matches. He clearly has taken over as the best player in the world.

Furthermore, in their career, Djoker and Rafa have met 15 times on hard courts. Djoker is 10-5 in those matches. 

The road to winning the Australian Open goes through Djokovic, and that's bound to present some problems for Nadal.