Australian Open 2012 TV Schedule: Rafael Nadal Will Beat Novak Djokovic in Final

Rafael Nadal lost every single one of his matches against Novak Djokovic in 2011, the last two of which came in the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

In a word, Djoker owned Nadal in 2011. Just like he owned everyone else.

Nadal and Djokovic will square off again in the final of the Australian Open (ESPN's coverage begins at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday). This time, Nadal is going to win.

Yup, I'm calling it. Djokovic may have owned Nadal in 2011, but it's a new year and Nadal's slate in clean.

What isn't clean is Nadal's memory. He knows full well that Djoker beat him every time he faced him in 2011, and he knows full well how Djoker beat him. 

You have to give all the credit in the world to Djoker for the things he was able to do against Nadal, but Nadal helped him out by failing to make the proper adjustments. He attacked Djoker the same way he would have attacked him in 2010, failing to understand that Djoker was not the same player. Between 2010 and 2011, he went out and made significant improvements to his game.

In a nutshell, the tricks Nadal used to put Djokovic on the defensive no longer worked. Because of that, Djokovic went on the offensive too easily, forcing Nadal to hold on for dear life on the baseline.

It's not so much that Nadal has to avoid falling in any kind of trap. What he needs to do is switch up his game just a little bit. Increased unpredictability will keep Djoker from getting too comfortable, which will level the playing field in a significant way.

If Nadal can make that adjustment, this match is going to go the distance. It will turn into a back-and-forth endurance test.

In a marathon match like that, Nadal gets the edge. He's wearing a brace on his knee, but it's clear that it's not hindering his movement at all. His range is still unparalleled, and so is his fitness. If he needs to, he'll go for hours.

Djoker's own fitness is top-notch, but you worry about how he's going to hold up after the five-hour match he played against Andy Murray just to get into the final. He had trouble putting Murray away, and the match before that Djoker had to deal with some breathing troubles.

The breathing issues didn't keep Djoker from beating David Ferrer, and he was able to overcome Murray, but Nadal is another challenge. 

Like Murray, Nadal will take Djoker the distance.

Unlike Murray, Nadal will finish the job.

Prediction: Nadal in five.

Men's Final: Sunday at 3 a.m. ET on ESPN