For the third year in a row, Novak Djokovic is the Australian Open champion, the first man is history to win it in three consecutive years! This was also the second time which he has beaten Andy Murray in the final down under which in my opinion came as a surprise as I backed Murray to win the final. After 2 sets, it was very close and Murray was well in it but then something happened… Was it the feather? The blisters? Or did the pressure just get to Murray?
It all started so well for Andy. The first set finished 7-6 to the Scot as he came out on top during the tie break which would have settled his mind after he lost two of them against Federer in the semi final. During this set, Murray was playing at the standard he had set for this whole tournament playing great defence and some superb back hand slices which at the moment look to be the best in the world. Djokovic was unable to match Murray for winners and the Serb didn’t help himself with his footwear as he appeared to be slipping and sliding all over the court which inhibited his movement. The second remained close and fierce with both players staying solid on their serves. No breaks were made despite Murray having 3 opportunities earlier on in the set which fundamentally resulted in a second tie break. This time it was Nole who came out on top playing superb forehand passing shots which looked equally as good as his double handed back hands. The game was then drawn at one a piece but then it suddenly went wrong for Muzza.
During the interval before the third set, Murray called a medical time out as he had to be treated for nasty blisters on his right foot which were clearly causing him some discomfort. This wasn’t surprising considering he had had just a days rest after his thrilling five setter with Federer. Still, going through the third set Murray and Djokovic continued to hold their serves for a further 7 games. With the third set at 4-3 Djokovic, Murray stepped up to serve to level the scores again before a feather floated down as he began his service game. For some reason, the commentators saw this as a sign, a reason for Murray slipping to a 0-30 deficit. I strongly doubt that the Scotsman was put off by a small white feather but what may have put him off was the heckle made before the serve he was about to deliver to save the break point. Subsequently, Murray hit the net after a long rally which left him slumped and in a defeated mood which was carried through till the end of the match as Djokovic went on to the win the final two sets 6-3, 6-2.
Was Murray playing badly or was Djokovic in a different league? I think its fair to say that both these assumptions are wrong as Murray still played well and Djokovic was hardly on the next level as the statistics suggest.
Total Points won:
Murray = 126
Djokovic = 139
1st Serve Points won:
Murray = 81%
Djokovic = 75%
2nd Serve Points won:
Murray = 46%
Djokovic = 66%
Winners:
Murray = 29
Djokovic = 47
Ultimately, Djokovic had a much better all round game despite making 15 more errors than Murray yet these were spread over the whole game unlike Murray’s which came mainly during the third and fourth set. The weakest part of Murray’s game yesterday was his second serve as he failed to win half of them which is what Djokovic pounced upon and when it came down to the Serb’s service game he was very efficient as he didn’t get broken once. So, although Djokovic edged the contest this time round I doubt this will be the only final that Murray will feature in and Wimbledon looks to be on the cards for his next major. The next grand slam will be the French Open and whether Murray can adapt his game to the clay will be interesting to watch but if Nadal is fully prepared by this time then I think it’s a full gone conclusion.
After winning the US Open, I though Andy would take this one too, but Djokovic showed that he is still the guy to beat!
Yeah totally agree, Murray had the belief to win this major but yeah Djokovic was brilliant yesterday!