Australian Open 2012: Nadal Will Have Andy Murray to Thank If He Wins Title

No. 2 Rafael Nadal still has one match to go in order to win his second Australian Open, but thanks to the efforts of Andy Murray, I believe Rafa holds the upper hand in the finals.

Nadal took care of No. 3 Roger Federer in the semis quite handily and has been waiting for an opponent to face for the title. After five grueling sets, that opponent will be world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Murray and Djokovic had an extremely hard-fought match that Djoker eventually prevailed in by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5.

When you consider the amount of energy Djokovic had to expend in the match and the amount of rest Nadal has gotten, I certainly think Nadal has a big advantage. Djokovic was very clearly spent by the end of his marathon match with Murray as it took everything he had inside him to battle back from a 2-1 deficit in sets.

Djokovic may very well be the most well-conditioned tennis player in the world today, but receiving just one day of rest after such a strenuous match could take a toll on him, particularly when Nadal will be playing on a couple days rest. In terms of recent track record and hard-court prowess Djokovic is the favorite, but when you take other factors into account, I think the pendulum swings in Rafa's direction.

Nadal already provides a bit of a matchup problem for Djokovic because his incredible movement, great spin and lefty look differentiate him from pretty much anyone else on tour. On top of that, Nadal's confidence has to be as high as it has been in quite some time after taking out Fed without much difficulty.

You obviously can't discount Djokovic against Nadal as he is the top player in the world and won three Grand Slams last year, but Murray undoubtedly did a number on him. If Nadal can push the pace and get up early in the final, I don't like Djoker's chances of coming from behind once again.

Djokovic has certainly seemingly done the impossible and won tournaments before when it looked like he had no chance, but Nadal looks to be very determined right now. With the way Djokovic has played for the past year it's easy to forget about the other players, but Nadal has 10 major titles in his back pocket and is on the prowl for more.

Nadal played better against Federer than he has in a couple years in a major tournament other than the French Open. All of his weapons were working and I think that will carry over to the final. With all things being equal I would probably take Djokovic, but Murray did Nadal's dirty work for him and will offer Nadal an assist in his second Aussie Open title.