Novak Djokovic: World No. 1's Dominance Will Continue with Australian Open Win

There may be more depth in men's tennis currently than in any other time in recent memory, but that simply won't be enough to stop the momentum of the world's No. 1 player, Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic had a banner year in 2011 as he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open while just narrowly missing the Grand Slam for the year as he lost in the semifinals in the French Open. While "Djoker" is good on every surface, there is no question that hard courts are his forte, making the Aussie Open his kind of tournament.

The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam event that Djokovic has won twice and I consider him a virtual lock to win it for a third time this year. Not only does Djokovic have a pretty advantageous draw as the top seed, but there isn't anyone who can touch him on this surface right now.

Don't get me wrong, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are all formidable competition, but at this point, Djokovic is simply a cut above the rest. On hard courts, Djokovic is, for all intents and purposes, a flawless player right now and the same can't be said for his opposition.

For one reason or another, all of the Djokovic's closest competitors are currently being held back by something.

For Nadal, his biggest issue is injuries. While nagging injuries are nothing new for Rafa, the older he gets, the more he will be affected. I have to believe that his latest twisted knee tendon could cause some issues in Melbourne.

Federer has reached a point where he simply can't close out Grand Slams anymore. He's probably slightly past his tennis prime right now as well, but that isn't to say that he still can't get the job done. Perhaps all it will take is one win to get him rolling again, but right now, Federer is in a Grand Slam funk.

Murray is the only one of the four who has yet to win a Grand Slam and I think that makes some view him as less of a threat. In terms of talent level, he is right up there with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, but he has never been able to get over the hump at a Grand Slam tournament.

Just like Federer was for so many years at Grand Slams, Djokovic simply seems to be unbeatable at this point. Nobody is truly unbeatable, of course, but Djokovic is the closest thing to it. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Djokovic could go on a dominant run at the Aussie Open over the next several years just like Nadal has done at the French Open.

Djokovic hasn't shown any signs of slowing down from his dominant 2011 season thus far, and I think that will continue to be the case at the Australian Open as the Serbian sensation adds another title to his trophy case.