How Djokovic Beat Murray To Win Australian Open Final | ATP World Tour | Tennis Novak Djokovic captura su sexto título del Australian Open. How Djokovic Beat Murray To Win Australian Open Final Jan312016 Andy Murray ATPWorldTour.com breaks down the 2016 final World No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2-ranked Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(3) for a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title on Sunday. Only Roy Emerson (12), who also won six Australian crowns in the 1960s, Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal (14) and Roger Federer (17) are now ahead of the Serbian in the all-time Grand Slam singles championship list. Djokovic is level with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11 singles majors. ATPWorldTour.com breaks down how the 2016 final at Melbourne Park was won. FIRST SET Djokovic glared at his team, seated courtside, as Murray's aggression garnered his first break point at 30/40 in the opening game, which lasted five minutes.

Thereafter, it was all Djokovic as Murray won just three further points in a devastating 20-minute spell. Djokovic, who had beaten Murray in the 2011, 2013 and 2015 finals, put an element of doubt in the second seed's mind as he took a 5-0 lead. Murray looked flat-footed and struggled for forehand consistency, but at 0-5, 30/30, he sparked into life with a stunning backhand crosscourt pass. He went on to clinch his first game, avoiding the first opening set bagel in an Australian championship final since 1953. Djokovic required three set point opportunities to take the 30-minute opener, but in the final minutes Murray's game was revived. SECOND SET The last two players to lose a first set 6-1 in the final - Djokovic's coach Boris Becker (1991) and Marat Safin (2005) - both came back to win. Could Murray do the same? The second set was more competitive and it was not without drama.

Murray began to play high-risk tennis, re-gaining control in baseline rallies, but it also led to frustration. He saved four break points in a 12-minute third game, and the tide looked to have turned. But Djokovic held firm under increasing pressure. Although both players exchanged service breaks to 4-4, Djokovic rarely gave away free points. Murray led 40/0 in the 11th game, but Djokovic won five straight points - including a 36-stroke rally. Incredibly, Djokovic gave Murray a glimmer of hope at 6-5, 30/15, when he hit two straight double faults. But the Scot could not capitalise on the lapse in concentration to work his way back into the 80-minute set. The only time Djokovic had lost a two-sets-to-love lead was against Jurgen Melzer at 2010 Roland Garros.

THIRD SET Djokovic looked to be running away with the pair's 31st encounter, when he opened up a 2-0 lead and managed to snuff out a half-chance for Murray at 2-1, 30/40. Yet Murray fought back into contention, mixing up the pace of his groundstrokes to force Djokovic into a backhand error at 3-2, 30/40. In winning two straight games, Murray appeared to have gained the momentum, particularly as a number of crosscourt backhands pierced Djokovic's defences. But Murray started the tie-break with a double fault and again at 1/3 (his fourth and fifth double faults of the match). It sealed his fate. Moments later Djokovic struck his seventh ace to complete the two-hour and 52-minute final. More stories like this in: 2011 U.S. Open -- Novak Djokovic downs Rafael Nadal to win U.S. Open comment NEW YORK -- Bothered by pain in his back, ribs and cramping legs, Novak Djokovic was face-down beside the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium, getting massaged by a trainer.

Having dropped a set against defending champion Rafael Nadal , Djokovic's grip on the U.S. Open final appeared to be starting to slip away and, worse, his body was breaking down. His confidence? That, more than any particular stroke, is what Djokovic credits with transforming him from a top player to a great one -- and it never wavered one bit Monday night. Producing a nearly perfect performance to match his nearly perfect season, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic returned brilliantly, whipped winners from all angles and beat No. 2 Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 in a match chock-full of lengthy, mesmerizing points to earn the first U.S. Open championship of his career and third Grand Slam trophy of 2011. "In big matches, the winner is decided by small margins, a couple points. I guess the winner is the one who believes in victory more," said Djokovic, who is 64-2 with 10 tournament titles. "I guess it just clicked in my head. Through the last couple of years, I didn't change my game in any major way. ...

But I'm hitting shots that maybe I wasn't hitting," he explained. "I'm going for it. I'm more aggressive." It's sure working, particularly against the man he replaced atop the rankings, Nadal. A year ago, it was Nadal who won three major titles, including a win over Djokovic in the final at Flushing Meadows. That defeat helped Djokovic realize he was being too passive at key moments on his sport's most important stages and set him on a path that's led to one of the greatest seasons in the history of men's tennis -- or any sport, for that matter. "I've had an amazing year," Djokovic said, "and it keeps going." Nadal led their head-to-head series 16-7 at the end of 2010. And since? Djokovic is 6-0 against Nadal this year, all in tournament finals -- three on hard courts, including Monday; two on clay; and one on grass at Wimbledon. Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is only the sixth man in the 40-plus years of the Open era to win three major titles in a single season.

"Obviously I'm disappointed," Nadal said, "but you know what this guy is doing is unbelievable." Novak Djokovic celebrates after capturing his first U.S. Open title Monday, repelling Rafael Nadal in four dramatic sets. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images With a couple of months left, Djokovic can set his sights on the best win-loss record in the modern era: John McEnroe went 82-3 in 1984, although that only included two Grand Slam titles, because he lost in the French Open final and didn't enter the Australian Open. Roger Federer was 81-4 in 2005 with two majors, exiting twice in the semifinals. Rod Laver (1962, 1969) and Don Budge (1938) are the only men to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a year. The biggest change Nadal has noticed in Djokovic? "He's confident enough in every moment to keep believing in one more ball, one more ball," Nadal said. "His forehand is not more painful than before. His backhand is not more painful than before.

Serve's the same." Of all of Djokovic's skills, the one that separated him the most Monday was his return. He repeatedly sent serves back at Nadal's feet, forcing errors or giving Djokovic control of the point. That helped Djokovic accumulate an astounding 26 break points and convert 11. Consider this: When Nadal completed his career Grand Slam by winning last year's U.S. Open, he was broken a total of five times in seven matches. Another telling statistic: Four times Monday, Nadal broke Djokovic -- only to have Djokovic break right back in the next game. That's exactly what happened in the third game of the second set, which lasted 17 minutes and featured a bit of everything: 22 points; eight deuces; six break points; a time violation warning against Nadal (Djokovic was admonished later in the set); complaints by both men that the glare from the stadium lights was bothersome; seven exchanges that lasted at least 10 strokes. After a 28-shot point, Djokovic leaned over and put his hands on his knees, his chest heaving. Nadal was the one who faltered, though.

He double-faulted to set up break point No. 6, then -- on a great defensive lob by Djokovic -- put an overhead into the net. More remarkable than all those breaks of serve was the way Djokovic seemed to break the will of the reliably relentless and indefatigable Nadal. At the end of the first set, when Djokovic reeled off six games in a row, and at the end of the match, Nadal wasn't even chasing Djokovic's shots. "It was a tough match," said Nadal, who owns 10 major titles. "Physical, mental, everything." Yes, and Djokovic turned this U.S. Open final rematch into something of a mismatch. He entered this year with one Grand Slam title, at the 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic attributes his surge to a variety of factors, including a vastly improved serve, better fitness -- owing, at least in part, to a gluten-free diet he doesn't like to discuss in any detail -- and, mostly, a seemingly endless reservoir of self-belief dating to December, when he led Serbia to its first Davis Cup title.

Djokovic began a 43-match winning streak there, a run that ended with a semifinal loss to Federer in the French Open semifinals. The only other blemish on Djokovic's 2011 record was a loss to Andy Murray in last month's Cincinnati Masters final, where Djokovic stopped playing while trailing, citing a painful shoulder. That was the 24-year-old Serb's last match before heading to Flushing Meadows. His shoulder was fine in New York, clearly, and while he was treated by a trainer and took painkilling pills in the late going Monday -- which is why his serves slowed to the 90s mph in the fourth set -- he overcame it. With both men playing fantastic, court-covering defense in a grueling contest that lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes, there were more than two dozen points that lasted at least 15 strokes. Djokovic quickly turned things around after falling behind 2-0 in each of the first two sets.

Those were tiny deficits compared to what he dealt with in the semifinals Saturday: He lost the first two sets to Federer, then faced two match points at 5-3, 40-15, before smacking a cross-court return winner that sent him on the way to taking the last four games. By backing up that victory on Monday, Djokovic became only the second man to defeat Federer and Nadal during the course of one Grand Slam tournament. Juan Martin del Potro did it en route to the 2009 U.S. Open title. The only time Djokovic truly faltered at all in the final was in the crucible of the third set, when he showed signs of being bothered by his lower back. His level dipped, and Nadal made one last stand. Djokovic went up 3-2 only to get broken, then served for the match at 6-5 and was broken again when he made two unforced errors, the second at the end of a 21-stroke exchange. "When I lost that third set, it wasn't fun," Djokovic said.

"I knew I wasn't physically there." But in the fourth set, Djokovic was in control from the start, breaking in the second game with a forehand winner, then cruising from there. When Djokovic ended it with another forehand winner, he raised his arms, then tossed aside his racket and dropped to the court. He pulled off his shirt and threw it into the stands, then put on a dark hat with "FDNY" written on it -- a nod to Sunday's 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which both he and Nadal mentioned during the trophy ceremony. The final -- delayed a day to Monday by rain for the fourth consecutive U.S. Open -- was marked by spectators calling out during points or as the players were in their service motions, and while that's perhaps to be expected in New York (as opposed to, say, the staid All England Club), Djokovic and Nadal were bothered by it, and the chair umpire repeatedly chastised the unruly crowd. Once he adjusted to the conditions, Djokovic disguised shots well, rearing back and ripping big shots off both wings -- often right near lines, if not right on them.

He wound up with 55 winners -- 23 more than Nadal -- and, all in all, put on a masterful display of as diverse a game as one can have. He excelled at everything -- serving, returning, volleying, groundstrokes and the sort of constant movement and retrieving with which Nadal usually frustrates opponents. Mostly, he kept telling himself he could win. "The bottom line is that that's the whole point -- to win Grand Slams -- because these are the tournaments most important and most valuable in our sport," Djokovic said.

"Right now I feel drained emotionally and physically and mentally." Then, motioning with his right hand at the silver chalice that forever will carry his engraved name, Djokovic added: "But I have this trophy here, and this is what I was fighting for." Novak Djokovic v Andy Murray: Australian Open final stats - BBC Sport BBC Sport Novak Djokovic v Andy Murray: Australian Open final stats 30 Jan 2016 Andy Murray (left) has won only nine of his 30 matches against Novak Djokovic Australian Open: Djokovic v Murray Venue: Melbourne Park Date: Sunday, 31 January Time: 08:30 GMT Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, plus text commentary on the BBC Sport website. Highlights on BBC Two from 14:05 GMT. Andy Murray accepts that he will be the underdog when he meets Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

The world number two is in the final of the year's first Grand Slam for the fifth time, having lost to the 28-year-old Serb in 2011, 2013 and 2015. The Briton, who was also beaten in the 2010 final by Roger Federer, is chasing a third major title. "I don't think many people are expecting me to win. I have to just believe in myself," said Murray, 28. Djokovic has lost only three sets in six matches at Melbourne Park this year, and could equal Roy Emerson's record of winning six Australian Opens. If the Scot, who has also only gone beyond three sets twice at this year's tournament, was to beat Djokovic he would become the first man to lose four finals at a Grand Slam before claiming the title. "It's one tennis match, it doesn't matter what's happened in the past really," added Murray, who has lost 21 of the pair's 30 meetings.

Djokovic targets more history Victory for Djokovic on Sunday would give him his 11th Grand Slam title, moving him level with Sweden's Bjorn Borg and Australian Rod Laver and one behind Emerson, whose six Australian Open wins in his homeland were played on grass. "These are the kind of matches that you work for. These are the kind of occasions that define you as a tennis player," said the reigning Australian, Wimbledon and US Open champion. Djokovic beat Federer 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3 in Thursday's semi-final, making just six unforced errors in an impressive opening two sets. Among the few flaws of his passage to the final were the 100 unforced errors he made in a five-set win over France's Gilles Simon in the fourth round. What will Murray's approach be? Murray beat Djokovic to claim his two Grand Slams, in the 2012 US Open and at Wimbledon the following year, but has lost 10 of their past 11 meetings. When asked whether all-out attack may be the best policy against the world number one, Murray pointed out several challenges of facing his regular opponent.

"Roger tried to do that the other day and it's not that easy, whereas (Gilles) Simon played a completely different way and was very successful for a large part of that match. "If you want to win against Novak you have to maintain your intensity for a long time and your level for a very long time." Share this page Australian Open 2016: How can Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic? - BBC Sport BBC Sport Australian Open 2016: How can Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic? 29 Jan 2016 Media playback is not supported on this device Highlights: Murray battles into final Australian Open: Djokovic v Murray Venue: Melbourne Park Date: Sunday, 31 January Time: 08:30 GMT Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra, plus text commentary on the BBC Sport website. Highlights on BBC Two from 14:05 GMT. Andy Murray says the past does not matter, but having lost three Australian Open finals to Novak Djokovic just how does he beat the Serb?

Sunday's match will be the 31st time the two players have met, with Djokovic having won 21, including 10 of the past 11. Murray, 28, reached his fifth Melbourne final with a hard-fought five-set win over Milos Raonic on Friday. No-one has played in more finals of an individual Grand Slam without winning one. But how can Murray beat the world number one? BBC tennis commentators Andrew Castle and John Lloyd provide a few pointers. 'It's about what happens on Sunday' Since Murray won the 2013 Wimbledon final, the Briton has beaten Djokovic only once in 11 matches - in the Rogers Cup last year. But the world number two is not concerned by the history between the pair. "It's one tennis match. It doesn't matter what's happened in the past really - it's about what happens on Sunday," he said. "Novak loves playing on this court. We've played a bunch of times here, but hopefully it can be a different result.

"People like to read into what's happened in the past, but Stan Wawrinka beat Rafa Nadal in the 2015 final here and I don't think he'd won against him in 13 attempts." Murray has only won one of his past 11 matches against Djokovic Murray is also not concerned by having one day fewer to rest than Djokovic, who only needed four sets to beat Roger Federer in the semi-finals on Thursday. "If you play a quick match on the Friday, it doesn't really make a huge difference," said Murray. "It isn't ideal if you play the five sets, but Novak also won here the time we played five hours and then he played a six-hour final. So it's do-able." 'Draw on the positives' The odds seem stacked against Murray. Djokovic has a perfect Australian Open final record, winning on all five appearances. However, the Scot does have some high-profile wins over the Serb, including the 2012 US Open final and the 2013 Wimbledon final.

Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the 2013 Wimbledon final Lloyd, an Australian Open finalist in December 1977, thinks the Murray camp will be focusing on those two victories. "This will come down to his coach Amelie Mauresmo," said Lloyd. "They will be thinking and talking about the two Grand Slam finals Andy has beaten Novak in and won't be thinking about the losses. "Draw on the positives, you've beaten him before and you can do it again. It's not as if he is getting wiped off the floor when he loses. "He has a good attitude and other people will have written him off and Andy will like that." 'He can't trade from the back of the court' Murray is confident he has the right strategy and skills to defeat Djokovic. "I need to keep to my game plan very well, not have any lapses in concentration and just play the best I can," he said. Media playback is not supported on this device Djokovic beats Federer in gripping match Former British number one Castle thinks Murray will also have to mix his style of play if he is to deny Djokovic an 11th Grand Slam title.

"Murray will need to go in with a game plan, give it absolutely everything and go for it," said Castle. "I don't think that over five sets in Australia he can stay back and trade from the back of the court. "If you're number two in the world and are as stubborn, massively determined and as fit as Andy is then you don't walk out there thinking, 'I will lose this one'. "OK, he has lost 10 of the past 11 but he has beaten Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon final and a US Open final and other times as well. In the French Open semi-finals [in 2015] in the third and fourth sets he blew Novak off the court. It was amazing." Will Murray do it? "I think he can beat him, but it will be tough," said Lloyd. "The thing about Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic is that their games cancel each other out but Novak seems mentally to be able to hang in there just a bit longer and the pressure seems to tell with Andy. "But Andy was very good mentally against Raonic and I have a good feeling for this. It's going to be close but I think Andy will sneak it.

"The Australian fans want Andy to win and they're thinking it's Andy's time - I do too." Share this page Murray Beats Raonic To Reach Fifth Australian Open Final | ATP World Tour | Tennis Andy Murray Scot to face Novak Djokovic on Sunday Andy Murray will face Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final after coming from behind to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 in a gripping semi-final on Friday night in Melbourne. Murray will contest his fifth final at Melbourne Park and will face Djokovic for the fourth time, having finished runner-up to the Serb in 2011, ’13 and ’15. He also missed out against Roger Federer in 2010. "Last year here is a good match for me to look at because the tennis, in my opinion, wasn't miles apart," said Murray. "It was a very close match for three sets. The most important thing for me is to sustain my level for long enough, not just for one set here or there, a few games here or there.

I need to do it for a very long period if I want to get the win. That's my challenge on Sunday. "I have a very good shot on Sunday if I play my best tennis. I don't think many people are expecting me to win on Sunday. I have to just believe in myself, have a solid game plan, and hopefully execute it and play well. There's no reason it's not possible for me to win." With his brother, Jamie Murray, in the men’s doubles final alongside Bruno Soares, the Murrays are the first brothers in the Open Era to reach the finals in both the men's singles and doubles at a Grand Slam championship. "For it to be the first time to happen is incredible really," said Murray. "I never would have expected that. I mean, even at the beginning of last year Jamie had only maybe made one quarter of a slam before Wimbledon. Now that he's made three in a row, he's playing great tennis and is moving right up to the top of the rankings. So very proud of him. "Obviously it's something that's going to be extremely rare. You're not going to see it very often.

We should enjoy it and be proud of it because it's a tough thing to do." The 28-year-old Murray will look to win his third Grand Slam championship, adding to titles at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon, beating Djokovic in both. The Scot has a 9-21 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Djokovic, winning just one of their seven meetings in 2015. Murray had to give it everything to reach his ninth Grand Slam final. He was pushed all the way by Raonic, who twice led in the match. Showing no signs of nerves in his seventh FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Murray, Raonic started the stronger, breaking Murray in the first game. The right-hander then held from a 0/40 deficit to secure the break and did not look back, striking 14 winners to just four from Murray to claim the opening set in 36 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. But Murray had Raonic under pressure on serve throughout the second set. With Murray starting to pick Raonic’s serve, the Canadian fended off a break point in the second game and again in the sixth game.

But the Toronto native blinked in the clutch 12th game. Facing set point at 30/40, he came in behind his serve but netted the backhand volley. Murray had allowed Raonic no opportunity on his serve, making 80 per cent of his first serves and winning 20 of those 24 points. The Scot also benefitted from 20 unforced errors from Raonic in the second set, while only committing five himself. Both players dominated on serve for the first half of the third set, with five love service games to open proceedings. The first sign of danger for Murray came in the ninth game, when he held from 0/30 for a 5-4 lead. Raonic again had Murray under pressure in the 11th game, but was denied on the only break point chance of the set as Murray held for 6-5. In the ensuing tie-break, Raonic struck first with a fearsome forehand return winner to take a 3-2 lead. He quickly stretched the advantage to 5-2 and didn’t falter on his first set point at 6-4, sending down an unreturned serve.

Raonic left the court for a medical timeout after only three games of the fourth set. With the Canadian’s movement slightly restricted, Murray pounced, breaking to love in the seventh game. A messy game ensued, with Murray surrendering a 40/15 lead to face a break point courtesy of three unforced errors. But the Scot attacked the net and was rewarded, ultimately holding for a 5-3 lead. After saving a set point in the eighth game, Raonic received more treatment on his upper right leg at the changeover and went on the attack with his forehand in the following game to earn two break back points. Murray found his best tennis when it was needed to reel off four straight points, though, and secure the set. Clearly impeded by his injury, Raonic never got a foothold in the decider. Murray benefitted from a double fault to break in the opening game and quickly raced to a 4-0 lead. Raonic showed grit to save five break points in the fifth game, but was afforded no opportunity to get back into the match as Murray went on to serve out victory in just over four hours on Rod Laver Arena.

Murray had committed just 28 unforced errors in the contest, 50 less than Raonic. "When you play against someone who is tough to break like Milos, you need to protect your own serve to put pressure on them," said Murray. "I think at the end of the fourth set I did very well. I won some of the break points I faced. I came up with some good second serves. I changed the position of the second serves on a few points. Served close to the lines. That was big. "Obviously if the injury affected him significantly at the end, then that's tough, especially at this stage of an event. As the player, it's obviously very tough when that happens. I've been in that position myself many times before, as well. It's not easy." After upsetting former champion Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round and backing it up with victory over Gael Monfils, Raonic was contesting his second Grand Slam semi-final, having fallen in the semis at Wimbledon two years ago (l. to Federer). The Toronto native saw his nine-match winning streak at the start of 2016 come to an end.

The right-hander had opened his campaign by winning his eighth ATP World Tour title in Brisbane (d. Federer). A change to his coaching set-up this season has seen the Canadian employ former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, with former coach Ivan Ljubicic taking up a position in Roger Federer's camp. "It was just a difficulty to push off my leg with my adductor midway through the third set," said Raonic, addressing his injury. "That's what it was. It's unfortunate. Probably the most heartbroken I felt on court, but that's what it is.

I'm happy with where my tennis is at, I just wish I could play...tennis." More stories like this in: Federer and Nadal Dominance Looks Set To Continue in 2011, Starting in Melbourne | Bleacher Report Federer and Nadal Dominance Looks Set To Continue in 2011, Starting in Melbourne Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories Lucas Dawson/Getty Images Federer celebrates in the final of the 2010 Australian Open 1.2K 59 Comments With 2010 drawing to a close, attention begins to turn to what will happen in 2011. In tennis, the new year hits the ground running with the first Grand Slam, the Australian Open in January. With this in mind, it seems like a reasonable time to look ahead at the likely outcome. The Australian Open Tennis Championship has reaffirmed itself, over the last 20 years or so, as one of the four Grand Slams and now attracts the world’s elite in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Some years prior to that, the men’s event had lost its status, with players like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors rarely playing there. Borg in fact only played there once and Connors, who won it in 1974 and was runner up the following year, never played it again. It makes one think of how many ‘Slams’ these three may have won had they played it more often. Notwithstanding, the tournament has become one of the most popular with the players. The slowish, hard-court surface makes matches extremely competitive, which is why no single player has dominated the event like Roger Federer had done at Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal is still doing at the French Open. In fairness to Federer, he has been the main man of this tournament over the last ten years or so, winning it four times, including last year when he beat Britain’s Andy Murray in the final in straight sets. He also finished as runner up in 2009 after a titanic struggle against his nemesis Nadal and these two will almost certainly be the top two seeds in 2011 and the favourites to win.

Who will win the first of the four Grand Slams, the Australian Open, in 2011? Roger Federer 1.7% Total votes: 294 Nadal failed in his attempt to defend the Australian Open title in 2009, as he was still recovering from injury, but he did reach the semi finals where he lost to Murray. Nadal of course has now gotten back to his supreme best, so much so that he won all three of the other "slams" in 2010 and needs the Australian to become the first man to hold all four titles since Rod Laver in 1969. Outside of the big two, one has to consider the number three and four ranked players, Novak Djokovic and Murray as distinct possibilities. Indeed, Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008 and Murray reached the final last year. Both will be very determined to get on the same level as Federer and Nadal. On top of that, hard courts are their favoured surface which has to put them in with a real chance.

Djokovic and Murray will also realize, both in real terms, that they are running out of time to become consistent Grand Slam winners. The only other player outside of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic to have won a recent Grand Slam is Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Federer to win the 2009 US Open Final. Injury however has kept him off court for some considerable time and it is said that he will not be up to anything like his best until halfway through 2011. If this is true, then he is ruled out of winning in Australia. World No.5, Robin Soderling, is a very tough player to beat, but on hard courts he usually finds someone better. He certainly has the game to make the last eight and justify his seeding, but he will have to produce his best ever game to beat any of those who currently rank above him. The same argument could be applied to the world number six and seven players, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer.

Neither have produced their best tennis in Australia in the past and although Ferrer has had a good year in 2010 and is a definite possibility to make the semi-final, he is absolutely no match for Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal . Perhaps the only other player who can go all the way ‘Down Under’ is American Andy Roddick, who has been a semi finalist four times in the past. If in top form, we all know that his big serving game can trouble any opponent, but he will need to bring more than that to win the title in January. The Australian Open Tennis Championship begins on 17 January and concludes on 30 January at Melbourne Park, Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win the 2016 Australian Open final | Sport | The Guardian Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win the 2016 Australian Open final • Djokovic wins 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 • Serbian wins sixth Australian title and 11th grand slam Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 to win the Australian Open title for the sixth time and to claim his 11th grand slam. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images Sunday 31 January 2016 06.37 EST Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 21.38 EDT Share on Messenger Close Novak Djokovic is Australian Open champion for the sixth time, equalling Roy Emerson’s record, but it is unlikely he will be spending much time analysing a final in which he eked out a sub-par 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) win over Andy Murray here on Sunday night.

Andy Murray: I’ll be on next flight home after defeat to Novak Djokovic Read more We were left with a familiar impression: Djokovic does everything Murray does, only better. But when they lapsed into mistakes of their own making, the Scot’s 65 were more telling, more regular, more hurtful than the Serb’s 41. It was Djokovic’s fourth win over Murray in the final of these championships – and the most ordinary – and his 11th in their past 12 matches. Djokovic now has 11 majors, and should overtake Rafael Nadal’s 14 within a year or so, then set about passing Roger Federer’s 17. This year? The world No1 will again be in the hunt for a calendar grand slam – but this was an inauspicious beginning to his campaign. Murray, meanwhile, has racked up five losing finals at the same slam, an Open Era record he will not be shouting about – although, as he says, he has done well to reach those finals, the first of which came against Federer in 2010.

Murray raised a laugh when he said courtside: “I feel like I’ve been here before. Congratulations Novak, six Australian Opens, an incredible feat, and incredible consistency the last year. Novak Djokovic wins Australian Open after beating Andy Murray – video highlights “Thanks to my own team, too. Sorry I didn’t get it done tonight, it’s been a tough few weeks for me away from the court, and I thank you all for your support. It’s very, very tough for me right now but I do appreciate playing in front of all you people. Amazing atmosphere. “Finally, to my wife Kim, who’s going to be watching back home. You’ve been a legend the past two weeks. Thanks for your support and I’ll be on the next flight home.” Jamie Murray set to beat Andy to world No1 spot after long road to top Read more Djokovic added: “I need to pay respect to Andy for another great tournament. Tough final, tough luck, Andy. You’re a great player, great friend.

I would also like to wish you and Kim a very happy delivery of your baby and I hope you will experience a feeling like no other, because that’s what happened to me and my wife.” For long stretches in the two hours and 53 minutes the match lasted, the pair hit unexplored depths of mutual awfulness, interspersed with rallies worth their place in any highlights reel. Both of them have played significantly better than this, especially against each other, in their 30 previous encounters stretching back to 2006. All but seven of those were in Tour finals or semi-finals; eight of them were in slams, including five finals. But this did not fit that template of excellence. Nor did it match the occasion. “This is the worst match I’ve ever played,” Murray was heard to say within earshot of his perplexed coach, Amélie Mauresmo, but there was no sharing the blame for this one, no excuses to be laid at the door of others, or circumstances beyond his control. Their biggest challenge was to keep a straight face during the presentation ceremony.

It was difficult to comprehend that these were the same players who entertained us in the semi-final here for four hours and 50 minutes of memorable, fighting tennis in 2012. Unstoppable Novak Djokovic is making the impossible seem possible again | Simon Cambers Read more Murray looked unusually relaxed – or was it resigned? He’d been up until the early hours after watching his brother Jamie win the doubles title with Bruno Soares, not ideal preparation for a grand slam final against the world No1, who had beaten him 21 times already. “What are you doing here taking photos?” Jamie asked him during his courtside victory speech on Saturday. “You should be in bed.” He occasionally looked as if he still was. Pinterest Novak Djokovic paid his respects to Andy Murray and wished him luck with the birth of his child. Photograph: Joe Castro/EPA A break passed him by within two minutes as Djokovic searched for his rhythm, and he handed the Serb a two-love lead with his first double-fault. In the third game, when he failed to hunt down a drop shot that would normally be a routine get for him, concerns rose that he was not at his sharpest.

His balance and timing were way off and shot after shot billowed the net or went long. When he hit long to go 0-4 down, there were grumbles of discontent around Rod Laver Arena among fans who did not feel they were getting a proper contest for their money. Murray continually glanced towards his box, but his looks were not accompanied by his usual exhortations for noise and support. He appeared distracted and disengaged; had he been alerted to news from London about the impending arrival of his first child? Jamie said he could not bear to watch from his brother’s box and would catch as much of it as he could in the players’ lounge before heading for a midnight flight back to the UK. The way the match was going, his brother could well have joined him. Djokovic v Murray: Australian Open men's final 2016 – in pictures Read more Murray won only five points in the first 20 minutes, and those almost irrelevant crumbs as Djokovic coasted towards five-love.

Serving to avoid the dreaded bagel (there had not been one in the opening set of a championship final here since 1953), Murray struggled to loosen himself from his torpor, finally rousing the crowd with a magnificent crosscourt forehand that left his opponent stranded at the net. Somehow, he held. “Let’s go Andy, let’s go!” sang his fans – a little late, perhaps. Djokovic had good support in the crowd, too, with several Serbian flags dotted around the arena, and they inched forward as he served for the set. Nearly half an hour after his first break chance, Murray got another but wasted it. On the half hour, the champion was a set up – and what a weird set of tennis it was. Looking less anxious, Murray let his arms hit more freely through the ball in the second set. His ball-striking was more assured. He roared like the lion of old when a Djokovic forehand went wide, louder when he induced a shaky backhand from him to hold – and go in front for the first time in the match after 37 minutes. Murray paused on serve at the start of the third game as a plane passed.

A double-fault, four aces, four break points, a time warning, an interjection from the crowd in the middle of his ball-toss and a few minutes later, he held. Nobody ever accused Murray of being predictable. Pinterest Andy Murray lost his fifth Australian Open final, his fourth against Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Issei Kato/Reuters All the while, Djokovic seemed an incidental bystander. He played neither brilliantly nor poorly. In fact, he did little more than let the drama take its course, holding without fuss then waiting for Murray to implode. The Scot was plainly angry with himself, but seemed trapped by his own inertia. Even his self-flagellatory screaming was subdued. But a rare and wonderful point to hold for 3-2 – passing Djokovic tight at the net after an artful exchange of drop-shots and lobs – hit the excitement button. In a slow-burning contest with no reliable patterns, Murray now had captured majority support in the stands and seemed to respond to their urgings.

But a welter of unforced errors in a long, nervous seventh game cost him his serve, and Djokovic – his own level hardly stratospheric – surely thought the set was his to lose. However, when Murray hit the line with a sizzling backhand to break back immediately, there was hope that a proper fight might now ensue, rather than an embarrassing collection of mistakes masquerading as a grand slam final. It had taken the two best players in the world an hour and 20 minutes to rack up 50 unforced errors between them. What was worrying for Murray was that he had hit the majority of those, 29, and a lot of them were training-level, memory-bank shots, carelessly executed at the wrong time. Still, he saved two break points to hold for 5-4 at the third attempt, and, for the first time, the pressure was on Djokovic after 90 minutes of unbelievably ragged tennis. He held, saved three break points, and was as surprised as anyone when Murray hit long to blow a golden chance to level at a set apiece. Australian Open verdict: what must Andy Murray do to beat Novak Djokovic?

| Kevin Mitchell Read more In the 12th game, Djokovic handed Murray break point with a double-fault. Murray duly returned the favour, hitting long, then into the net, and the Serb had a two-set lead for which he had not had to work that hard. Djokovic, 171-1 in his career when two sets up, probably anticipated a routine stroll to win No 172. Murray, however, had enough perversity left in his bones to make a fight of it, to give the final a perhaps misleading veneer of respectability. He nonetheless played some of his most assured tennis in the third set, striking the ball sweetly and with more conviction to get to a tie-break, but then it all fell to pieces. Murray, whose serve had held steady in his fightback, double-faulted twice in the first four points, to an ace by his opponent, who led 5-1 at the turnaround. Murray aced to save one of five championship points but, at 6-3 on serve, the champion kept his crown with his seventh ace of the match.

“We still love you, Andy,” someone shouted from the crowd – probably more than the player could say for himself at that moment. 2011 Australian Open: Andy Murray defeats David Ferrer to reach men's singles final comment MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andy Murray will get another chance to end a near 75-year winless streak for British men in Grand Slam singles tournaments after beating Spain's David Ferrer 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1, 7-6 (2) Friday to reach the Australian Open final. The semifinal win put Murray into Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the 2008 champion who holds a 4-3 edge in head-to-head matches. However, Murray has won the past three. Murray faced a set point in the second that would have had him trailing 2-0, but fought back to beat Ferrer for the third time in six career meetings. "I think toward the end of the second set I started going for my shots more. I was missing a lot earlier," Murray said. "I changed my string tension and managed to come through. I changed my tactics ...

played closer to the baseline, waiting for my shots a bit more." Ferrer was disappointed by his missed opportunities. "Andy, in important moments, serve better than me," Ferrer said. "So I can't do nothing more. I fight a lot. I tried my best game all the time, but Andy's a very, very great player." No British male has won a Grand Slam singles title since Fred Perry in 1936 -- more than 270 Grand Slam tournaments ago. The drought endured with Tim Henman and most recently Murray, who lost in straight sets to Roger Federer in the final last year. Andy Murray is chasing the Australian Open title for the second straight year. William West/AFP/Getty Images Federer is gone from this tournament, beaten by Djokovic in the semifinals. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal , who was trying to win his fourth straight Grand Slam tournament, also is gone. He was hobbled by a thigh injury in his quarterfinal loss to Ferrer. The men's semifinal was filled with long rallies and plenty of booming forehands that just cleared the net.

Murray mixed it up enough at times that his looping lob on break point at 4-1 in the third set went high over seventh-seeded Ferrer's head, allowing the Spaniard only to watch as the ball bounced inside the line. "My body was feeling it a bit at the end," Murray said. "Both of us did a lot of running." Ferrer won the first set by breaking Murray's serve in the 10th game, and had a set point to go up 2-0 in the second. But Murray saved it and evened it at 5-5. The two exchanged service breaks in the next two games to send the second set to a tiebreaker, which Murray led 6-0. He overwhelmed Ferrer in the two tiebreak sets, allowing the Spanish player just four points. "I served well in both of them," Murray said. "I got off to a good start, and that always makes a difference." "I had my chance in the set point in the second set, but in the important moments he served really well," Ferrer said. "In the tiebreak, maybe he start better than me." Murray says he and Djokovic are good friends and often train together.

"I think experience-wise we are similar," Murray said. "There won't be any secrets with our games but it's going to be a brutal match." Andy Murray: Novak Djokovic is the man to beat at Australian Open | Sport | The Guardian Andy Murray: Novak Djokovic is the man to beat at Australian Open • Djokovic heads into first slam of 2016 in sensational form • ‘Maybe he has a drop off,’ says a hopeful Murray Andy Murray during a practice session in Melbourne ahead of next week's Australian Open. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images Reuters Monday 11 January 2016 04.30 EST Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 21.40 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Andy Murray’s priority for the new year is to win the Australian Open for the first time but he concedes that his hopes of success at Melbourne Park may rest on the defending champion Novak Djokovic having an off-day.

Djokovic, the world No1, holds three of the four grand slam crowns after a dominant 2015 and started the new season with a bang last week, thrashing Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Qatar Open . Nadal described Djokovic’s performance in the final as “perfection” and the highlights reel has made sober viewing for the Serb’s rivals warming up in Australia. Having lost to Djokovic in last year’s Australian Open final, and in those of 2011 and 2013, Murray is under few illusions as to the scale of the task. “My number one goal is to try and win here,” said the world No2, who also lost a fourth Melbourne Park final to Roger Federer in 2010 . “It’d mean a lot because of how may times I’ve been close. You just have to keep trying to learn, watch his matches, try and see if there’s any weaknesses there that you can capitalise on. “Maybe he [Djokovic] has a drop off, it’s very difficult to maintain that level for such a long period.

That’s all you can do.” Federer, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon and US Open finals, was also impressed by Djokovic’s obliteration of Nadal in Doha. “To some extent it’s surprising for sure,” said the 34-year-old. “Maybe not so much because he’s been on a roll for a while now. Of course, he is the favourite for the Australian Open. Plus he’s played well there historically.“ The Australian Open starts on 18 January.

Question: Who beat Andy Murray in final of the Australian Open tennis championship in January 2011?
Answer: Novak Djokovic