Australian Open 2012 Prediction: Novak Djokovic Will Sweep Grand Slam Events

Take a deep breath, everyone—I'm about to predict that Novak Djokovic will be the first male tennis player to take home a Grand Slam since Rod Laver did it in 1969, and the first tennis player to do so since Steffi Graf accomplished the feat in 1988.

Yes, that would mark six consecutive Grand Slam titles for Djokovic.

Like I said, take a deep breath.

The odds are stacked against Djokovic, of course. There's the fact that no man has accomplished the feat since 1969, for one thing.

And frankly, as Greg Garber of ESPN notes, even reaching three Grand Slam finals would be extremely impressive:

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Winning three majors—even reaching three Grand Slam finals—in a single year is exceedingly difficult. Backing it up with another finals three-peat is even tougher. In the past 50-plus years, a handful of men have done it. Before Nadal's 2010 Grand Slam-fest and his win and two runner-up finishes in 2011, there was Roger Federer. In the midst of his unprecedented mastery, he did it four years in a row, from 2006-09, winning nine of 15 major finals. The last one before him? Some two decades earlier, Ivan Lendl.

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Not to mention the fact that Djokovic has come out and said a major goal of his will be to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics this year, especially relevant in the world of tennis because the tournament will be played at Wimbledon.

Does he possibly have enough in the tank to gun for five huge titles?

And perhaps even more importantly, can he do the one thing the entire field has managed to do only once since 2005—beat Rafeal Nadal at the French Open?

Now, I know what you're thinking: Jeez Rapp, so far all you've done in this article is prove how unlikely it is that Djokovic will win all four Grand Slam titles. You haven't even directly addressed that Federer guy, or this paragraph from Garber's article:

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With all due respect to the stars of the past, it's quite possible this is the best men's tennis has ever been, particularly at the very top. Three different men have captured three majors in a single season in the past five years, something we've never seen. And even with Federer, 30, clearly past his prime, he's still a threat.

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So c'mon, Rapp—why should we believe he can overcome such immense odds?

Because his 2011 was as good a season as we've seen in quite some time.

Because he won three Grand Slams and lost in the semifinals to Federer in the Roland Garros, a remarkable stretch of play in the year's biggest tournaments.

Because he won 10 titles overall, finished with a 70-6 overall record, won 41 straight matches, became the top-ranked player in the world and set a new ATP record with $12.6 million in tournament earnings.

Because he went 10-1 against Nadal and Federer last year.

Because, if he wins the Calender Grand Slam (all four titles consecutively but in two different years, which he can do by winning the Australian and French Open this year), he'll already have cleared his biggest hurdle, the French Open.

Because despite finishing in a slump last season, Djokovic spent a good portion of his offseason doing something desperately needed—resting.

Because if anyone can do it in tennis today, he can. From the Chicago Tribune:

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"I think everything is possible. Obviously 2011 has been the best year so far in my career. It's going to be very difficult to repeat what I have done," he said.

"But I've done it once. Why not twice? Why not stay optimistic and positive about the whole season? It's a start. Obviously I'm not thinking too far away from Australia. My focus is directed to this tournament.

"I feel that I'm at the peak of my career. I feel that physically, mentally, game-wise, I'm right up there. I can perform equally well on any surface, as I have proven in 2011. That's my focus. That's something that I'm thinking of. Just taking it slowly, step by step."

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Maybe I just want to see history made this year. Perhaps I'm expecting the impossible of Djokovic.

Or maybe the unbelievable 2011 we saw was just the appetizer. Maybe Djokovic has something even greater up his sleeve for 2012.

It sure will be fun to find out.

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