Djokovic can overcome fatigue to beat Nadal in yet another final

Based on his displays in their most recent meetings, it is virtually impossible to oppose Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final with Rafael Nadal.

The pair are certainly well known to each other as this will be the third Grand Slam final in succession that they have met, with Djokovic triumphing in four sets at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Meanwhile, he won all six meetings in tournament finals in 2011 between the pair and has emerged victorious in ten of their 15 career encounters on hard courts.

However, his five-hour marathon semi final with Andy Murray and the fact that Nadal has benefited from an extra day’s break in the build up to the final has left some punters siding with the Spaniard.

Djokovic is 8/13 in the Australian Open odds to win a fourth Grand Slam in a little over 12 months, with Nadal certainly looking like the value option at 5/4 given the concerns over the fitness of the world number one.

But back in 2009, Nadal was in exactly the same predicament as Djokovic is in now and went on to win the Australian Open.

He was in a classic five-set semi-final with Fernando Verdasco and had to put up with less rest than Roger Federer, but still found the reserves to win the tournament in five sets again in the final.

Djokovic showed for eight months last year an ability to keep winning matches with little break in between and has the defensive armoury to counter Nadal’s aggressive spin.

Winning the first set could be key and Nadal has dropped the opening set in the last two rounds at the Australian Open.

Djokovic may be a good bet at 4/6 to win the first set and 11/4 also looks decent value that he beats Nadal in four sets for the third successive Grand Slam final.