Novak Djokovic, SIX times!

In the end, the sheer physical prowess, determination and phenomenal athleticism of Novak Djokovic washed away a hobbling Andy Murray out to shore, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena on a Sunday night. The match did not meet the standards of the 2012 US Open final, where Murray had prevailed in more than four hours. Nonetheless, this was no straight-sets victory either, with both men going at each other right from the time the first ball of the match was served by the Serb. In a match that lasted three hours and 40 minutes, there was no break of serve until almost two hours into the game, when Djokovic managed to break the Scot’s booming weapon that had served him so well in the semifinal against Roger Federer but had failed to actually click in the final match. It was only in the eighth game of the third set that the break came about, and by then, Murray was hobbling, afflicted by blisters in his right foot and a sore buttock. By that time, the damage had already been. His opponent had stepped up his game like a true champion in the third and fourth sets, and his power on the line and ferocity were there to admire and gawk at after Djokovic had won the second set tiebreak to leave the match one set apiece.

The win enabled Djokovic to complete a hattrick of titles at the Australian Open, becoming the first man in the Open era to achieve that feat, becoming only the third man overall to win three straight titles in Melbourne along with Jack Crawford (1931-33) and Roy Emerson (1963-67). The Serb now has four Norman Brookes Challenge Cups in his bag, and he will surely be challenging for the fifth next year. What is admirable about Djokovic is his ability to bounce back in key matches, when he’s a set down. But he did seem unnaturally rattled in the second set, and it appeared as if he had let Murray successfully get under his skin for some time. Djokovic kicked a ball away after a mistake (it was a good enough volley to merit him a place in the Arsenal squad); he even banged the racquet on court, which merited a quick change afterwards. But a rattled Djokovic can be quite a sight to behold, and the man ensured he did not throw the second set away, drawing on his immense reserves of willpower to force his way through. The other two sets were then a completely different journey. The Serb punching those monstrous forehands down the baseline can make anyone sit up and applaud – against Murray, he did that a number of times, stretching out the rallies and then finally, with an epic burst of physical and vocal power, summoning one final shot to clinch the points. This is one of the reasons I love watching Djokovic play – he strains every sinew, every nerve on court, his ability to retrieve the ball at the baseline is impossibly supreme; even when he slipped and slid and ended on his bottom on the court, he somehow managed a lob, retrieved the ball again and then sent a delicious drop shot to Murray, who scrambled unsuccessfully to get there. Points like these had the entire Rod Laver Arena (and me) cheering for the world’s No.1 player.
Murray has now lost in Melbourne for the last three years, once to Federer and then to Djokovic, twice, including this final. He has surely broken the jinx of winning his first Grand Slam and has that monkey off his back, but despite working on his fitness and stamina, he still has some catching up to do with the Djokovics and Nadals of the world. Iven Lendl is a perfect match for him, although the legend also brings along his own grumpiness to add to Murray’s. Maybe the Scot needs to get less rattled, scowl a little less on court and smile a tad more. His sullen disposition needs a facelift, although Lendl is not the man who can help him do that.