Australian Open 2012: Rafael Nadal Title Will Result in Ascent to No. 1 Ranking

Due to the dominance of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic as of late, there hasn't been much thought of him being dethroned. If No. 2 Rafael Nadal can beat him in the Australian Open final, however, a changing of the guard will be in order.

Djokovic entered the Aussie Open as the clear favorite since he is coming off a season in which he dominated and won three Grand Slams. Also, Djokovic is unquestionably the best hard-court player in tennis right now. With that said, he just went through an extremely grueling five-set match against No. 4 Andy Murray in the semis.

Nadal didn't have the easiest match against No. 3 Roger Federer, but if took Rafa just four sets to win and he will have an extra day of rest. I don't want to discount Djoker completely, but he seemed to expend every last ounce of energy in his body in order to outlast Murray.

On top of that, Nadal is playing better tennis than he has in quite some time. He is obviously more adept on clay than hard courts, but he has won the Australian Open before and has the movement, spin and lefty look to give Djokovic problems and ultimately defeat him.

I won't pretend to know the logistics of the tennis rankings as they seem incredibly flawed as evidenced by Caroline Wozniacki's long stay at the top on the women's side. I would have to think, though, that if Nadal is able to win the first two Grand Slams of the season, he would ascend to that No. 1 position.

I know that one of the factors taken into account is how a player performs in a tournament from one year to the next. Rafa bowed out in the quarterfinals against David Ferrer in the Aussie Open last season, so his improvement will be a huge one if he wins the tournament.

Luckily for Nadal, the ensuing Grand Slam is his specialty, the French Open. Nadal has won the French an incredible six times, including six out of the past seven years. He is the two-time defending champion and there is no reason to think he won't be victorious yet again.

That would give Rafa the first half of the yearly Grand Slam, so I would be shocked if that didn't allow him to secure the No. 1 ranking. Obviously being ranked No. 1 doesn't really mean anything, but I think that it is a symbolic distinction that every player strives for.

If Nadal is able to knock off Djokovic in the Australian Open and then win the French Open as he usually does, it will be a firm reminder to Djokovic that staying on top isn't easy. With Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray constantly battling each other, there is naturally going to be some movement.

There was some concern regarding Nadal's health and whether he would ever be the same player, but I think Nadal has the advantage in the Aussie Open final and I ultimately believe he will knock Djokovic from his perch at No. 1.