Djokovic beats Murray to claim fifth Australian Open title

Djokovic, the world number one, came through 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-0.

The match was Murray’s fourth Australian Open final – a tournament he has never won. Djokovic – the top seed and favourite to win – had never lost a final in Melbourne.

At almost four hours long, the final produced some world-class tennis.

Murray, 27, has won two of the eight grand slam finals he had played in whilst Djokovic has won eight of the 15 he has appeared in.

A tight first set gave an indication of the long game that lay ahead. Both players broke serve and the set headed for a tie break, which Djokovic just managed to edge.

In the second set, Djokovic began to stamp his authority on the match. The Serbian powered into a 4-2 lead, but Murray fought back, winning three games in a row to make it 5-4. After failing to capitalise on a set point, Djokovic won a break back and the set headed into another tie break.

The tie break produced some of the best tennis of the match, with Murray going on to claim fourth set points. He won the third, levelling out the match.

Murray carried his momentum through to the third set, breaking Djokovic’s serve at the first attempt. Djokovic appeared to be suffering from an ankle injury, but he managed to break back and pull level at 2-2.

2hrs 30mins for 2 sets. These guys are a different breed. Who can continue to keep this level longest? #ausopen

— Jamie Murray (@jamie_murray) February 1, 2015

As the match passed the three-hour mark with the third set tied at 3-3, Murray missed a break point and momentum swung towards five-time champion Djokovic. After the Serb took a 5-3 lead, a frustrated Murray threw his racket on the ground. Djokovic broke Murray’s serve again to take the third set 6-3.

At the start of the fourth set, Djokovic pounced again, breaking Murray’s serve to take a 2-0 lead. Murray appeared to be rattled, losing serve again to hand Djokovic a commanding three-game advantage.

Djokovic showed no sign of letting his lead slip, and powered through to a 5-0 lead. The world number one served for the match and claimed his fifth Australian Open title.

Pic: Andy Murray’s fiancee Kim Sears wears a ‘parental advisory, explicit content’ jumper after she was caught swearing during Murray’s semi-final win against Tomas Berdych