Novak Djkovoic: It's Time to Anoint Superstar Player the King of Tennis

I've been reluctant to do it do this point, but it's time to anoint Novak Djokovic the king of tennis.

He's been the best player in the world, but I needed to see if his stellar 2011—when he won three out of the four major tournaments—was a fluke of if he really was the real deal.

Starting off 2012 with a win at the Australian Open over fellow great Rafael Nadal was a huge moment in his career in my estimation, and it went a long way in solidifying himself as the best in the game.

There is no one better than Djokovic in the sport of tennis, and he proved that by beating the only player that may be able to come close.

Djokovic and Nadal fought in what will go down as one of the most epic matches in the history of the sport—going a record-setting five hours and 53 minutes—but in the end it was Djokovic who overcame his tremendous opponent and sure exhaustion to win the 2012 Australian Open 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Chris Chase of Yahoo! Sports reports on Djokovic's brilliance.

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For Djokovic, it was his third straight major title. He joins Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Nadal as the only men in the Open Era to accomplish that feat. Djokovic also has won seven finals in a row against Nadal, including in each of those three Slam finals.

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It's time to firmly anoint Djokovic the king of tennis, and until somebody can decidedly knock him off, I don't see him giving up the throne.

We've seen tennis go through this transition more than any other sport. The all-time greats are always challenged, equaled and eventually surpassed by the next superstar to climb the summit to the pinnacle of greatness.

Just recently, we saw this process play out with Roger Federer and Nadal, with Nadal eventually proving himself to be far superior to the fading great, and perhaps now we are seeing the same thing happening with Nadal and Djokovic.

I want to give Nadal the credit and benefit of the doubt, and I want to hope that he will be able to bounce back and give us one of the best one-two punches and rivalries of all time, but right now, Djokovic is the undisputed champion.

Until somebody can take his throne, Djokovic is now the king of tennis.