Djokovic Thrashes Murray For Sixth Aussie Open Title

The two are nearly equal in rank and age (both are 28, Murray is a week older), but on the court, Djokovic has had the edge on Murray in almost every department.

Djokovic improved his record over the world No. 2 to 4-2 in major finals.

During a terrible first set, Murray had muttered in earshot of his coach, Amélie Mauresmo, “This is the worst match of my life”.

The Scot played the Open on tenterhooks with their first child due next week, with his wife remaining in London.

The 2016 Australian Open men’s final features the Worlds No. 1 player facing a man who seems ready any minute to become his to challenger.

Djokovic paid tribute to Murray in his post-match speech.

“I started the last couple of matches quite slowly, understandable in some respects”. “Obviously, it’s not good to begin matches like that against someone like Novak”.

“You can observe it from different sides but I believe all the guys are out there fighting each week to get to number one and I know that”. It sparked a flurry of revelations and accusations, with Djokovic among the players to confirm a match-fixing approach early in his career.

The so-called Big Four of men’s tennis – Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic – has been looking more lopsided with Djokovic’s winning record.

The Serb faced a break point in his opening service game but then went on a blazing run to claim the opening set.

Any chance Murray had of getting back in the match with some command disappeared when he lost it 7-5. Novak Djokovic broke into an early 3-1 lead and Andy Murray was finding it hard to stay in the game. He consolidated the lead with another break for a 4-0 lead.

That is when the second seed started to crumple, double faulting to go down two games.

Murray gave it everything he had in the two-hour, 53-minute baseline battle that was compelling viewing throughout an engrossing and pivotal 80-minute second set. At 11:15 p.m. local time, Murray said he was aiming for a 1 a.m. flight – “I’ve been held on flights for it feels like five days”.

Asked if he was now targeting Federer’s mark of 17 slam successes, Djokovic told reporters: “I need to be honest and say that it is in the back of my mind and it serves as an encouraging factor, a goal, a motivation, an incentive for the challenges and for the next period in my career”. “Had I lost in the third or fourth round it still would have been hard with everything that happened, but she’s been awesome and handled everything unbelievably well”.

“That is why of course this trophy is even more unique for me tonight”.

“I do think I could have played a bit better, like I said”. The tournament has previously been problematic for Nadal, who has been hit by injury a few times in Melbourne, and the match-up with his fellow Spanish left-hander is a tough one, producing a classic semi-final in 2009. “I try to. But, you know, I do the best that I can”, Williams said.

The world is impressed and amazed by Novak Djokovic’s dominance but it isn’t much fun watching him trample over his competitors time and time again. It was the 104th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

He said: “That’s why I kissed the court”.