Australian Open 2012 Finals: Rafael Nadal Is Guaranteed To Defeat Novak Djokovic

The world's best will square off yet again in the 2012 Australian Open, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic playing the 30th match in their rivalry.

These two players are the top two in the world and are incredibly close in skill. "Rafa" and "The Joker" have already played one of the best rivalries in tennis history, meeting the second-most times in any rivalry. Did I mention that they are both still in their mid-twenties?

These two could possibly form the greatest rivalry in tennis history one day and this match will help them earn that title.

Nadal played a close, four-set match against Roger Federer in the semifinals, which was once considered the best rivalry in tennis. Nadal dropped the first set, but then won three in a row, punching his ticket to the finals.

Djokovic, on the other hand, played a marathon-match against Andy Murray that lasted nearly five hours. This will leave The Joker completely exhausted with less than 48 hours to prepare for his match against Rafa.

Djokovic is taking this very seriously, acknowledging just how hard this match will be. Djokovic said: 

"

"What can be a bigger challenge than playing against Rafa Nadal, one of the greatest players ever?"

"

ESPN reports that Djokovic looked "tired and sore after the second set," and Novak himself described his time in the second and third sets as a "physical crisis."

This will lead to the end of Djokovic's run, as Nadal has the extra day to prepare, and he was able to study and scrutinize Djokovic for almost five hours against Murray.

Djokovic dropped to the court in a spread eagle after his victory. He was drained physically, mentally and emotionally. Now, he has one day between matches to recover and prepare for an equally challenging match.

Novak said after the game that when two great competitors square off, the match comes down to a few points. Nadal is an even bigger challenge than Murray and he will defeat Djokovic in the finals.

While Novak will be able to take the first set, he will not have the stamina left to finish the match and Nadal will slowly pull away from him, winning the match.