|
 Should Djokovic beat Murray he will become the first man in the
Open era to win five titles in Melbourne and be one away from Roy
Emerson's record of six, won before the game went professional in
1968.
Victory will also allow him to reclaim his mantle as the king of
Melbourne Park, having reached the final in four of the past five
years.
"Getting to the finals is already a great achievement ... but now
this is the match for which you have worked for now two months,"
Djokovic said after he beat last year's champion Stan Wawrinka in
the semi-final. "This is where you want to be.
"This is why you put all these hours on and off the court, trying to
get yourself in a position to win grand slam trophy, because that's
what matters the most."
Djokovic is bidding for his eighth grand slam title and has a
superior 15-8 career record over Murray.
He has also won seven of the last eight matches, while in his run of
three successive Melbourne Park titles, he beat Murray twice, in
2011 and 2013.
"There's no clear favorite. But ... the record I have in finals
against him here in Australia, we played couple times, can serve
maybe as a slight mental edge," Djokovic said.
"But not much."
REWRITING HISTORY
While the history is against Murray, the Scot is used to rewriting
it.
It would be his first title at Melbourne Park, from his fourth final
appearance, the most required in the Open era to win the Norman
Brookes Challenge Cup.
It would also end another long barren streak for British men's
tennis, as he would be the first British man since Fred Perry in
1934 to clinch the Australian title.
Ending long losing streaks back to the days of Perry is something
the 27-year-old Scot is becoming accustomed to.
He became the first British man since Perry to win a grand slam
title in 76 years when he clinched the U.S. Open in 2012 and the
first to win Wimbledon in 77 years in 2013.
Both times he beat Djokovic in the final.
It would also be his first under new coach Amelie Mauresmo, with the
Scot coming out after his tempestuous semi-final victory over Thomas
Berdych to defend their working together.
[to top of second column] |
Murray's form last year was criticized, with some pundits putting it
down to Mauresmo's influence, but the sixth seed said the pair had
barely worked together at all before the end of 2014.
"I feel like I'm playing well again," Murray said on Saturday. "I
think this tournament's been obviously important for me just because
of some of the results I had at the end of last year.
"It shows as well that last year, although it was a tough year, it
wasn't that bad.
"I feel like things have been going the right direction the last
couple months."
His improvements at Melbourne Park have been noticed by Djokovic.
"His game at the end of 2014 season, maybe people were not giving
him such a great chances to get to the finals," Djokovic said.
"(But) he feels that he's more relaxed on the court and he can swing
through his shots from the baseline.
"I think forehand has improved, judging by the matches he has played
... compared to a few months ago.
"He's also got a big serve. I think if he serves well, that's a huge
confidence boost and advantage for him.
"I think the way he's been playing, he already knows what it takes
to win a grand slam title ... so I'm sure that we both are going to
go out and give our best."
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
