Australian Open 2012: Djokovic Will Beat Nadal in Epic Title Clash

Novak Djokovic needed nearly five hours to knock off Andy Murray in the semifinals, but that won't be enough to stop him from claiming his second straight Australian Open crown on Sunday (3 a.m. ET on ESPN2).

Djokovic will face off with Rafael Nadal, who knocked off longtime rival Roger Federer, in the final. It's a matchup between tennis' two best players as it stands right now, and is a perfect way to kick off the Grand Slam season.

After spending his off day recovering from the extremely physical battle against Murray, Djokovic should be fully prepared for the final. He's one of the most fit players on tour, so it would take a lot more than one extended match to wear him down.

Even though Djokovic's career record against Nadal is actually below .500, he has beat the Spanish star six straight times, including wins at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. In other words, he's seemed to have solved the Rafa puzzle.

There's nobody else in the sport who is playing with as much confidence as him right now. He's willing to take some risky shots because he believes he can pull them off, and more often than not he's correct in that assumption.

The reason Djokovic has an advantage heading into the final is because both players play similar styles, and he's just executing better right now.

He's hitting winners off both wings, playing strong defense and rarely gives up free points. Nadal is the same way. That's why Sunday's match will showcase some of the best tennis fans have witnessed in a long time.

Every point is going to be a battle. Just when you think one player has the edge, the other guy will fight his way back into the match. That's just the way these two guys are. They are both ultimate competitors, but somebody has to lose.

For now, Djokovic is still the king and someone will have to knock him off to take the crown. Nadal will push him to his limits again, but I think the Serbian star grinds out another victory.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.