Australian Open 2012: Rafael Nadal Needs Will over Skill To Top Novak Djokovic

Despite being a 10-time Grand Slam champion and the second-ranked men's tennis player in the world, Rafael Nadal doesn't have that much going for him heading into the finale of the 2012 Australian Open against Novak Djokovic.

As well as Rafa has performed at Melbourne Park thus far, he's done so at the grave expense of his ever-deteriorating body. Nadal was already expected to sit out the month of February amidst persistent shoulder soreness and nearly withdrew from the Aussie on account of a knee injury before the tournament began.

If that weren't reason enough to worry, Nadal was hospitalized following a three-set sweep of Feliciano Lopez on Sunday and has been playing through more bandage wrap than an Egyptian mummy.

That's not to mention the whole issue of the Djoker having Rafa's number of late; Novak nailed Nadal in each of the six tournament finals in which they met last year.

So what chance, then, does Nadal have of claiming his 11th victory in a major?

A fighter's chance, actually.

Beyond his obvious physical talent and skill with a racket, Nadal has fashioned for himself one of the all-time great careers in men's tennis on a foundation of grit, toughness and sheer determination. The Spaniard may not sport the peerless technical brilliance and versatility of Roger Federer or the relative youth and backhanded dominance of Djokovic, but what he lacks in comparison to his "Trivalry" mates, he more than makes up for in consistency, tenacity and brute aggression.

Rafa still possesses, in unrivaled abundance, those very same qualities that made him a champion, even amidst Federer's historic run of dominance during the previous decade.

It's upon those strengths (and bad knees) that Nadal will have to build his case for another trophy at the Australian Open, if he's to do so at all.

That will be no easy task, but if there's anyone in men's tennis who is or has ever been capable of bucking the odds and persevering through pain and adversity, it's Rafa.

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