Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares win Australian Open men’s doubles final

Novak Djokovic will aim to clinch his 6th Australian Open and 11th overall singles major on Sunday, 31 January, when he takes on Scotland’s Andy Murray in the men’s singles final in Melbourne.

Andy Murray’s brilliant returning was always going to be a handful for Milos Raonic but it was the quality of the Briton’s serve that proved decisive in the world number two’s advance to a fifth Australian Open final on Friday.

“I think obviously, you know, if you play a quick match on the Friday, it doesn’t really make a huge difference”, Murray said, reports Fox Sports. Djokovic has a flawless Australian Open final record, winning on all five appearances.

“It doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past. What matters is what happens Sunday”.

The four-time runner-up reached his fifth final at Melbourne Park after overcoming the gallant Canadian 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2 in four hours, three minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Murray knows that statistics such as which finalist played their last four match first is unlikely to have too much bearing on a contest between two supremely fit athletes.

Raonic was hampered by an adductor problem in his upper right leg from late in the third set.

Djokovic said: ‘I’ve played him many times and been in the situation before where I haven’t won specific tournaments, like Roland Garros for example, against players like [Rafael] Nadal who were dominating there.

Murray took full advantage, breaking twice to win the decider easily as the usually placid Raonic vented his frustration by banging his racket on the ground. “Martina is an incredible champion and it’s a privilege for me to play with her”. I’d be way more disappointed winning the Australian Open and not being at the birth of the child.

Undeterred, Murray and Soares hit straight back, capitalising on the second of two break points to serve for the match at 6-5.

“If you want to win grand slam titles and be the best in the world, you have to win against best players in the world”.

“I couldn’t push off, I couldn’t get up to serve, and I couldn’t change direction”, Raonic said.

Serena Williams has dictated most of the points during her stay in Melbourne and she is now one match away from joining Steffi Graf in second place in the list of all-time Grand Slam winners.

“Andy, you should be in bed, but we’ll be in bed to support you tomorrow”, Jamie joked during his speech on court.

The Serb, who fell just one win short of a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2015, demolished 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in a sublime semi-final featuring two spellbinding opening sets.

In the women’s-doubles final, Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Sania Mirza of India beat the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 to claim their third Grand Slam tournament title together. I thought him and the guys had left to go back to the hotel. And Soares, 33, held his serve to serve in the last game to seal the final set and win the championship.

“I’m happy with where my tennis is at…I just wish I could play tennis”.