Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal in Australian Open Final: Another Classic?

Novak Djokovic is set to play Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open as the tennis titans continue thier great rivalry.

The two modern-day tennis greats have so far played each other 29 times, with the Spaniard currently leading the score at 16 wins to Djokovic's 13.

But Djokovic has the upper hand at the moment, having not only beaten Nadal in their last six meetings, including two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, but also overtaking the Spaniard to become to No.1 ranked player in the world.

The first time these two met was in the 2006 French Open Quarterfinals, in which Nadal came out victorious winning the first two set 6-4, 6-4 before Djokovic was forced to retire due to injury.

The pair met a total of seven times the following year, with Nadal again proving to be too good for the Serbian, winning five of their encounters, including a Wimbledon Semi Final in which Djokovic again was forced to retire from the match having taken the first set 3-6.

2007 was also the year these two played in a final against each other for the first time at the Indian Wells Masters, with Nadal going on to win 6-2, 7-5.

In 2008 the rivalry began to intensify, as the two met each other in five semi-finals and one final. Nadal beat Djokovic in their third successive French Open semi- final 6-4, 6-2, 7-6, before going on to win the tournament without dropping a set.

2009 saw the two play each other several times on clay court, producing some of the most thrilling highlights of the tennis year. The Monte Carlos Masters became their first ever clay court final, with Nadal claiming his fifth consecutive title at the event with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory.

In what many people describes as the best match of the year at the semi-final of the Madrid Masters, Nadal won a gruelling four hour match, beating the Serb 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (11/9) in what was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era.

Djokovic and Nadal played each other for the first time in a Grand Slam final in 2010 at the US Open. Nadal won 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, taking three hours and 43 minutes to do so, becoming - at 23 - the youngest player ever win all four of the grands slam titles.

In 2011, the momentum switched to Djokovic, who won all six of their encounters and two Grand Slam Finals, including the Wimbledon final, which was arguably their biggest match to date. Djokovic emerged victorious with a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 victory. The last time they played in 2011 was a rematch of the 201 US Open final, with Djokovic going on to win his third Grand Slam of the year, beating Nadal in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1.