Djokovic, Murray on opposite streaks into Aussie Open final

In 2011, reached the Australian Open final for the second straight year, but lost to Djokovic, also in straight sets.

As the Serbian showed once more in his semi-final win over Roger Federer, he is the best – and by a long way right now.

He now will face Novak Djokovic on Sunday in the men’s final.

“But, you know… Best-of-three, best-of-five, I can run for four or five hours”. That was until the seventh game, when he was broken to love in an error-strewn game as Murray ramped up his returning. I need to do it for a very long period if I want to get the win.

The world number two prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 in four hours and three minutes at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena to set up a repeat of last year’s final.

“Yeah, a lot about tactics and a lot about how you handle your emotions of the greatness of that occasion of playing for the Grand Slam title”.

Takes 500th tour victory with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over South African Kevin Anderson at Miami, becoming the 46th man in the Open Era to reach the mark. “I can try to do my best to try to keep playing on this level”.

“The previous disappointments, it’s one tennis match, it doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past really”, Murray said.

Martina Hingis has been out of the singles game for almost nine years but on Friday the Swiss won the women’s doubles title with India’s Sania Mirza.

“I don’t think many people are expecting me to win”, he said after his semifinal win over Milos Raonic on Friday night.

Raonic is known for being very composed on the court, but he grew increasingly frustrated as the match progressed and his chances slipped away.

In the final he confronted Rafael Nadal with a 0-13 record but prevailed to leave the court as a grand slam champion. Of course, adding to that the fact that I am able to make history is just an additional encouragement and incentive for me to do well. “I know what it’s like losing in a Wimbledon final and I know what it’s like winning one, and it’s a lot better winning. What matters is what happens Sunday”. But then, three games into the fourth set, the Canadian called for the trainer to treat a groin injury.

“You can’t afford to do anything poorly – Novak’s played extremely well”, Murray said.

With his wife, Kim, heavily pregnant at home in Britain and his father-in-law collapsing at the tournament, it has been, says The Guardian, a fortnight of “anguish and struggle” for Murray “and there nearly certainly is more to come against Novak Djokovic on Sunday”. He is so proudly Canadian that when there was a high school shooting in Saskatchewan last week, he spoke about it exclusively during the on-court interview that is usually focused on the just-completed match and the next one coming up.

It will be the fifth Australian Open for Murray, who has never raised the trophy.

Having missed break point chances at 1-0 and 3-2 in the second set, Murray had to bide his time but he kicked the door open with a brilliant crosscourt passing shot to set up a set point at 6-5. “There’s very few players that will have made five Australian Open finals, so I have to be proud of that achievement”. “I wasn’t allowing him to dictate as numerous points as I was at the beginning”.