Australian Open 2012: Novak Djokovic Will Continue His Hot Streak

The first Grand Slam event of the year is underway, and from the looks of it, world No. 1 player Novak Djokovic looks like he will continue to dominate the tennis world at this year's Australian Open.

Of the four brackets, the Serbian got by far the easiest of them all. Other notable players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were all dealt difficult paths to escape their part of the bracket. 

After winning three of the four slam events last season—including this very tournament—many players fear how much damage he can continue to have in this season.

There have been concerns about this health, as he experienced shoulder and back injuries towards the end of last season. It has been said that he is back in full health, and he will be out to prove that he can once again handle the rigorous schedule of a slam event.

Last season, Djokovic won 10 tournaments and was by far the most dominant player in the world. He fell apart at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, as well as withdrawing from the Masters in Paris. Despite his string of troubles of late, Djokovic should be ready to dominate once again on the main stage.

His portion of the bracket has a lot of players with potential, but nobody that has really given him trouble over the years. Milos Raonic, a young Canadian who is ranked No. 23 in the world, could give Djokovic his first real challenge of the tournament.

While Raonic has been playing well and comes in with a lot of potential, it is hard to imagine him defeating currently the best player in the world.

While some would consider a possible fourth-round match against Andy Roddick or Robin Haase a challenge, neither player really possesses the skill to knock Djokovic off his game. Haase isn't yet at that level, and Roddick is just on a fast course to hitting rock bottom.

Perhaps if world No. 5 David Ferrer comes in strong, he could shake things up in this bracket's quarterfinals. 

The two battled it out twice this past season, with each player taking one of the matches.

Djokovic beat Ferrer in three sets at the Masters in Madrid last season, while Ferrer managed to knock him off at this season's ATP Tour Finals in two sets, only dropping four games.

While Ferrer recently got the best of him, he will be facing a rejuvenated Djokovic who is ready to take this tournament for the second time in a row.

If he is to make it past all these players, he will find himself in the semifinals likely against either Murray or Jo Wilfried Tsonga, the two men he defeated to win this title in 2008 and 2011.

While both would seem to be a challenge, Novak has proven many times over his career that he can handle either of these men.

Still, both are hungry to finally win a slam title, and may bring out all weapons to get past him. Will it be enough? That remains to be seen, but Djokovic has been so strong that it is extremely difficult to actually envision either of these players knocking him off.

The true challenge will come in the final, especially if he is pitted against Federer or Nadal.

Luckily for him, both of these guys who are typically facing each other in the final will be battling it out to get there. It will certainly wear the two out and give Djokovic and upper hand on his competition.

Last season, he met both men late in each of the slam tournaments. At this tournament, he knocked Federer off in straight sets in the semifinals. It was a defining moment in what the year would be. He also managed to knock him off at the US Open, where he defeated Fed in the semis and Nadal in the final.

At Wimbledon, he got the best of Nadal, taking him down in a dominating four set match. While he dropped the third set, 1-6, Novak managed to only drop eight games in the three sets he won.

The only time he was defeated by either man was at Roland Garros (the French Open), where Federer defeated him in an epic four-set semifinal. That was the only loss Djokovic had at a slam event last season.

It will really depend on the level of play of both Federer and Nadal, as both players were playing down last season. They have so far bounced back strong in the first round of the tournament, as both players handled their opponents with ease.

It will remain to be seen, though, if they will be able to return to form and keep up that high level of play all the way until the final.

It will be difficult for him to repeat on last year's season, but the road to get there is quite easy for a man who has handled his competition with ease.

Djokovic, just like anyone, is no guarantee—but he is the closest thing to it.