It hurts to say this, but I can’t deny it anymore. Rafael Nadal is the best tennis player in the world following his 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 victory over the world’s No. 2 player, Roger Federer, Sunday’s Australian Open final. The tennis world has been blessed the last few years with Nadal and Federer trading majors and playing epic matches that leave us wanting more; Sunday did not disappoint.

Nadal was as good on Sunday as anyone could dream of, especially after a marathon semifinal match that stretched over five hours and set the record for longest match in tournament history. He was mentally strong and his endurance never wavered.

As a die-hard Federer fan, I have looked for ways these past seven months to make the case that Federer was still the best. His bout of mononucleosis at the beginning of 2008 was a good reason, his loss last year to Nadal in the French final was nothing new (Nadal has beaten Federer in three straight French Open finals), but in the Wimbledon final we saw Nadal defeat Federer in one of the best matches ever. His five-set win ended Federer’s 40-match win streak at Wimbledon and severely questioned my belief in Federer’s No. 1 status. Nadal took over that No. 1 ranking after winning the Olympics, just weeks after the triumph at Wimbledon, and with it, my grasp at the one straw left.

Federer, however, reminded his fans last fall that he is still capable of winning a major even with the likes of Nadal and other young upstarts as he grabbed the last major of the year — the U.S. Open trophy. It was a prize not to be trivialized and I still held on to hope that he could regain the No. 1 ranking with a good start to 2009. That seems ridiculous now. Nadal has a solid lead in the rankings and with the clay court season on the horizon, Rafa (the king of the clay) will hold serve.

Last year was a tumultuous one for Federer. His dominance through 2007 left everyone with the feeling that he would win two or three majors a year on a regular basis. So last year, when he finished in the semis of the Australian Open, the finals at the French Open, the finals at Wimbledon and snatched a victory at the U.S. Open, it was deemed a bad year for him. He set the bar high for so many years that when he just missed it, he looked like he was miles underneath.

I really thought, and still think, that he will play better this year than last. But at the moment that won’t necessarily mean more hardware. I think Federer can play better this year than he has in the past couple of years and still not win a major. Nadal’s victory Sunday all but proved that. Don’t get me wrong, I will be behind Roger every tournament, but facts are facts.

Nadal has now beaten Federer in their last three Grand Slam final appearances. He has Roger’s number and we all have to look away from Federer for a while and give this one-of-a kind lefty Spaniard the attention he so rightly deserves. Congrats, Mr. Nadal!