Djokovic can be the greatest

So how was it for you? Has there ever been a match so painfully pleasurable? Five hours and 53 minutes of blistering tension that seemed like it would never end.

Such raw emotion, such unpredictablity, such effort, such athleticism and such heroism. Such beauty yet such brutality. It truly was something to behold.

The 2012 Australian Open tennis final will be remembered as an item of real drama that is unlikely to be easily upended in the cluttered world of professional sport. Certainly not this year.

Of course, it is easy to get carried away after such happenings yet it is much more difficult to escape an almost inevitable conclusion from what went on in a teeming Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne: whatever is made of the greatness of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal over the past decade - and their ability is not in dispute at this juncture- Novak Djokovic is in prime position to establish himself as the greatest player to pick up a racket in anger.

Or fabulously crisp calmness, judging by his ability to muzzle a rampant Nadal during a breathless occasion Down Under that would have been deemed far-fetched if not so real.

Nadal is perhaps used to beating Roger Federer these days, but Djokovic is a different proposition. The man from Serbia continues to have his own variety of kryptonite whenever he faces Nadal, which is no mean feat after Nadal threw the kitchen sink and then the washing machine at 'Djoker' yet still came up short shortly before 2am in the Aussie heat.

Djokovic had beaten Nadal on six previous occasions - including the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open last year - but will surely derive greatest satisfaction from coming out on top in this one.

With Nadal a break up in the final set and the crowd mimicking the experience of watching Rafa on a clay court in a Davis Cup tie in Barcelona, the strain on Djokovic was huge yet he came up with the answers to break back twice in claiming a third title in Melbourne. Such a response is only reserved for true greats of the sport. Djokovic is already one of them in this golden age of greats.

Federer has 16 Grand Slams, Nadal has ten such trinkets and Djokovic moves up to five, but he is hardly the poor relation in third having clasped four out of the previous five majors in the sport.

Djokovic knows how to win, and crucially does not get flustered when he is subjected to pressure. These are key ingredients in a man of growing maturity at the age of only 24. Much more impressive is his fitness in outlasting Murray in the semi-finals and Nadal in the final over ten hours of tennis to make off with the trophy for a second straight year. Let us not forget that Nadal had an extra 24 hours to prepare for the final than his opponent.

"Congratulations to Novak and his team, they deserve it, they are doing something fantastic," commented Nadal.

What price a seasonal sweep of the Grand Slams of Aussie, French, Wimbledon and US Open by Djoker? You could 40-1 on such a feat after he made off with the US Open last September. Nadal in Paris is likely to be the one that stands between him and the whole blooming lot this year.

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A special mention for Andy Murray.

Djokovic and Nadal will take huge encouragement from their efforts in the Australian Open for different reasons, but Britain's Murray should perhaps feels glad he has subscribed to Ivan Lendl's school of coaching.

Murray has lost the last two finals in Melbourne, but his defeat to Djokovic in five sets in the semi-finals was easily his best output from several such trips Down Under.

With a touch more good fortune, Murray could have taken Djokovic's place in the final. He is on the right track, and the remaining three Grand Slams of the season may yet bring real benefits for Murray under Lendl. Murray was magnificent in defeat.