In a few melodramatic fairytales we find those over-the-top moments, which make us feel that a few things should be left in storybooks as they cannot be feasible in the real world. But, that very thinking is absolutely absurd and leaves a question mark on our rational approach – because whether we believe or not these fairytales not only hold a lot of importance in this real world but also happen in our day to day lives – in one way or another. On Sunday 29th January, 2012 – we will be a part of such a significant tale that would be remembered in future, as two of the best tennis players of modern generation would set the Rod Laver Arena on fire – its 2012 Australian Open final folks. And, yes it just cannot get better or bigger than this as its World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is up against World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. Brace yourself for a mammoth contest!

More than a Grand Slam win – it is a battle for supremacy between wounded Nadal and surging Djokovic. Both of these giants of the game have had a tremendous run at this year’s Australian Open and now they are one victory away from getting their hands over that coveted trophy. Interestingly, both have been ranked in the Top 3 for several years and as we expected after the release of the draw, this would be a fitting end to the Australian Open – Asia Pacific’s Grand Slam.

The 24-year-old Serbian Novak Djokovic is bidding to claim his fifth Grand Slam title and third at the Australian Open, having previously triumphed in 2008 and 2011. If Djokovic wins this time then he would become the fourth man in the Open Era to claim three or more Australian Open titles, joining Andre Agassi, Federer and Mats Wilander. Besides that Djokovic is aiming to become just the fifth man in the history of tennis to win three consecutive grand slam titles in the Open Era joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Serbian finished the last season with three Grand Slam titles and a record five ATP World Tour Masters titles. He also enjoyed a 41 matches winning streak in the first half of the season which was snapped by Roger Federer in the semi-final at Roland Garros.

When asked about this contest, the Serbian asserted, "I know that I maybe have a mental edge because I won the six finals we played in 2011 and I've had lots of success against him.” He further added that “on the other hand, it's a new year. It's a new challenge. It's a different situation. He has maybe a day advantage over me for recovery and for getting ready for the finals."

On the other hand, ten Grand Slam titles winner Rafael Nadal is aiming to regain the Australian Open trophy he claimed in 2009 with stunning victory over Federer in five gruelling sets. Nadal has lost only two sets to come this far in this tournament. If the Spaniard manages to win this title then he would become the second youngest contender after the legend Bjorn Borg to win 11 Grand Slam titles in the history of tennis. Though Nadal managed to win three titles in the last season after losing to his compatriot David Ferrer in the 2011 Aussie Open quarter-finals – all his titles came on clay in the last season including French Open triumph, but what happened after that was something incredible that took the best of tennis to a whole new level – it was the surge of Serbian Novak Djokovic. And, it has been continuing since then. Djokovic beat Nadal in six finals in 2011 and literally exposed many chinks in once-considered indefatigable Spaniard’s armour.

The feisty Spaniard quoted, "So it will be a really tough match for me. He is the favourite after being No. 1 in the world and after playing fantastic and beating me the last six times. So I am just happy to be there. For me, the tournament is really, really good. Right now I am going to try to play my best tennis and fight every ball knowing that is going to be a tough one.” He continued "It's a fantastic way to start the season. Now is another big, big test. I don't know if I am enough ready to win the match of tomorrow, but I believe that I can do it and I am going to fight for it."

Despite losing six finals to Novak Djokovic last year, Nadal still leads the head-to-head with 16-13. Last time they locked horns in the US Open final last year and Djokovic rallied past the Spaniard in four gruelling sets. Expect something of that sort or better of that on Sunday.