Australian Open 2012 Semifinals: Federer vs. Nadal Won't Decide Grand Slam

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal didn't exactly have an epic semifinal match.

Either way, that won't determine the Australian Open champion.

Neither man played very well, but Nadal did everything necessary to win, allowing him to advance to his second career Australian Open Final.

Nadal may be the No. 2 player in the world, but he isn't the favorite to win the title.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray still have a better chance of winning the Grand Slam.

First, Djokovic is the best player in the world. He is ranked No. 1, and he has been on a rampage through Melbourne.

David Ferrer (No. 5 in the world) couldn't even win a set against Djokovic.

Djoker has only lost one set so far, and that was when he had a two-set lead over Lleyton Hewitt. Other than that little slip-up, Djokovic has been nearly perfect.

Regardless of how his match with Murray turns out, Djokovic will still be in the zone heading into the final. He has been locked in for over a year now, and he should keep it going.

Whether his semifinal is short or long, Djokovic will have plenty left in the tank to win the Australian Open, if he makes the final.

However, even though he is the heavy favorite, there is no guarantee that Djokovic will make the final.

Murray has looked pretty darn good so far.

He dropped his first set of the Grand Slam. Since then, Murray hasn't lost a single set.

Many people thought 2012 would be a breakout year for Murray. However, Murray would have to go through Djokovic.

Murray has proven he can beat Djokovic (3-1 against him in 2008-09), but he went 1-2 against Djoker last year.

Djokovic is still in the same zone as last year, which will prove problematic for Murray.

With that said, Murray is ready to become elite.

If he can beat Djokovic, Murray will be riding a serious high. Murray has made it to three Grand Slam finals before. However, the magnitude of his semifinal wins have not coincided with his skill.

His past two semifinal victories have been over inferior opponents. As a result, Murray has not had as much momentum heading into the final. Without the momentum, he has gone down quietly.

When he did have a big-time win, against Rafael Nadal in the 2008 U.S. Open, Murray was only 21 years old. He wasn't ready to ride that momentum to a Grand Slam, especially against a far-superior Federer.

Now, Murray is ready to use any (and all) momentum.

Essentially, the 2012 Australian Open will not be decided by Nadal's win over Federer.

Unfortunately, Djokovic is playing better tennis, and Murray would have too much momentum to overcome.

While Nadal is playing relatively well and has momentum, it won't be enough to win the Aussie Open.

Djokovic is the polarizing player in this tournament. If he wins in the semis, he should continue winning. If he loses, he will give Murray enough momentum to defeat Nadal.

So, while the semifinal win was impressive, Nadal won't win the first Grand Slam of the year.