Australian Open 2012: Novak Djokovic Can't Rest on Laurels Against Nadal

Novak Djokovic has every reason to be supremely confident, if not borderline cocky, heading into his date with Rafael Nadal in the finale of the 2012 Australian Open.

After all, Djokovic is the No. 1 player in men's tennis. He's coming off a 2011 campaign in which he compiled an incredible 70-6 record and won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

The Djoker beat Nadal in two of those three majors, along with another four victories over the Spaniard in lesser tournament finals last year.

Meanwhile, Rafa appears more fragile with each passing day. He nearly withdrew from the Aussie before it ever began on account of persistent shoulder and knee pains, the sort that had him hospitalized after a win over fellow countryman David Ferrer on Sunday and heavily bandaged throughout.

So what could possibly prevent Novak from kicking off the 2012 campaign with the third Australian Open title of his career?

Well, aside from Nadal's power and toughness, Djokovic's biggest adversary may yet be his own ego. His rise to the top of the tennis world over the last year or so has been nothing short of meteoric. He finds himself nestled amidst the sort of rarefied air that Nadal and Roger Federer used to call home, as did legends like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors, among others.

But, like Icarus flying ever closer to the sun, Djokovic must be careful not to melt his wings, lest he come crashing down to Earth before our very eyes.

Could that happen? Absolutely. Will it happen?

Ehh...probably not.

Djoker's five-set, five-hour marathon victory over Andy Murray in the semis should serve as more than enough of a wake-up call to get the big Serbian to bring his best to Rod Laver Arena this Sunday.

That is, if the four sets and nearly four hours he needed to oust Aussie native Lleyton Hewitt in the Round of 16 didn't get him going first.

The stress and strain of the Murray match, coupled with an extra day of rest for Nadal, would seem to add to Novak's potential deficit on the stat sheet.

But, if Djokovic's recent run atop the sport of tennis is any indication, it'll take more than a big head and a short wind to keep the defending Australian Open champion from pushing Nadal off his turf.

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