Rafael Nadal: Why Rafa Will Redeem Himself at Australian Open 2012

Rafael Nadal is ready to show that he is still the best player in the world and the Australian Open is a perfect chance for him to do just that.

To achieve redemption, Nadal must win the Australian Open. While it's easier said than done, Nadal has a great chance to redeem himself.

He played well last year, he's injury free and he has a pretty solid draw.

In 2011, Nadal could've had one of the best years of his career. Instead, he settled for simply a decent year.

After losing in the Australian Open quarterfinals last year, he lost to Novak Djokovic in six finals.

That's absurd.

Nadal couldn't be Djokovic, but he beat every other top player in the world. Sometimes, players struggle against other certain players. It happens.

In 2011, that exact thing happened between Nadal and Djokovic. At some point, it has to turn around. Nadal played some great tennis last year, but he couldn't replicate that against the Djoker.

As a result, if the two face each other then it would be for the first time this year, making it the perfect time for Nadal to avenge those losses.

In order to avenge those losses, though, Nadal needs to be in perfect shape. Luckily, it looks like his shoulder has finally healed.

He reportedly said that his shoulder was "in perfect condition." That's good. Otherwise, he would have some serious trouble trying to win this Grand Slam. Nadal has dealt with injuries for about one year, and his Grand Slam performances have shown it. He has played well, but he hasn't been the best.

With his injuries apparently healed for this Grand Slam, it is a perfect time for Nadal to return to his top form.

In addition, his draw is not too difficult.

On his side of the bracket, Nadal shouldn't be worried about any player not named Roger Federer. Nevertheless, Federer is clearly not the player he has been in the past, and Nadal has done well against him lately.

Nadal is 5-3 against Federer in the past three years. That isn't a great record, but it is indicative of Nadal's ability to defeat the mighty Federer.

Federer is an all-time great, but Nadal is still in his prime, whereas Federer clearly is not.

On the other side, Djokovic must try and defeat Andy Murray before getting his shot at Nadal (or Federer, or others). That semifinal will be more exhausting than Nadal's, giving him an upper-hand in the final.

Nothing is certain in tennis, however, Nadal has a great chance at redeeming his disappointing (by his standards) 2011.

Nadal came up just short last year, proving that he played relatively well. He has no injury to slow him up. Plus, he has a relatively easy draw to get back to the final.

Nadal struggled to win last year, especially against Djokovic. The Australian Open is a perfect time for him to redeem himself.