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And so the 2016 Australian Open is over. Novak
Djokovic is still the champion. Now for that first French Open. Thanks
for reading and emailing over the past fortnight. Bye.
See the best images from the men’s final:
Here’s a piece Sean Ingle wrote about Novak Djokovic’s incredible 2015:
Djokovic’s 11th grand slam title means he has drawn level
with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. Which isn’t too shabby. Here he comes to
collect his trophy. “I need to pay the respect to Andy and his
team for another tournament,” he says. “You are a great champion and a
great friend. I’m sure in the future you are going to have more
opportunities to fight for this trophy. I would also like to wish you
and Kim a healthy delivery of your baby and I hope you will experience a
feeling like no other before, because that’s what happened to me and my
wife.”
A very dignified, warm speech from Murray. “Finally
to my wife Kim, you’ve been a legend the last two weeks, thank you for
all your support. I’ll be on the next flight home.” He’s struggling to
keep it together now.
Andy Murray collects his runners-up trinket. “I
feel like I’ve been here before,” he says with a weak laugh. “I’d like
to congratulate Novak for six Australian Opens, it’s an incredible feat.
I’d like to thank my team for getting me into this position. Sorry I
couldn’t get it done tonight. It’s been a tough few weeks for me away
from the court and I thank all you for your support in that.”
Are we talking about a player who could become the greatest of all time? Novak Djokovic kisses the blue court after equalling Roy Emerson’s record of winning six Australian Open
titles and he’s secured his 11th grand slam title overall with a
performance that was clinical, resilient and brilliant. To be brutally
honest, the final was over as a contest as soon as Andy Murray went 2-0
down in the opening set. He lost the final in that dreadful sequence
when he could hardly do a thing right, early on, allowing Djokovic to
take a 5-0 lead. He made a better fight of it in sets two and three, but
his attempts to play aggressively against the game’s best
counter-puncher ended in frustration, angst and 65 unforced errors.
Murray wanted it badly. Maybe too badly. He was too anxious in the big
moments and it feels as though Djokovic has taken up residence in his
head. It was a fine effort from Murray to reach the final, especially
with everything that has gone on in his life away from the court, but
Djokovic was remorseless. He is the best player in the world by a
considerable distance.
Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 to win his sixth Australian Open title!
Third-set tie-break: Djokovic* 7-3 Murray (*denotes server): What a way to finish it! The phenomenal Novak Djokovic swings a wonderful ace down the middle and it’s all over!
Third-set tie-break: Djokovic 4-1 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray double-faults again! He doesn’t bother with a challenge. This is something of a let-down.
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 7-5, 5-6 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray’s found his serve. He holds to 15 and he’s secured himself a tie-break. Maybe more.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 7-5, 4-4 Murray (*denotes server): At
15-0, Murray unleashes with a forehand and romps forward to put away a
volley and the games to 30-all when Djokovic double-faults, challenging
unsuccessfully. Yet Murray can’t capitalise, more errors allowing
Djokovic to hold to 30.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 7-5, 3-3 Murray (*denotes server): Murray
wins the first point. Against anyone else, he’d have won the second one
as well But Djokovic isn’t anyone else, he’s persistence personified
and he outlasts Murray. He’s just so relentless. He saves a break point
with a cross-court forehand. Yet Murray can be tenacious too and he
earns another break point with a smash, softening Djokovic up with a
diagonal backhand. Djokovic drifts a backhand long and Murray breaks
back!
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 7-5, 3-2 Murray* (*denotes server): The
first two points are shared, but Murray takes the next three to hold to
15. “Given Andy’s repeated losses (Presuming he loses here) in Grand
Slams in Australia/The World to Djokovic should we begin to nickname him
‘The Eternal Second’ like Raymond Poulidor?Or perhaps just Raymond?”
says James Austin. “He looks like a Raymond.”
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 7-5, 3-1 Murray (*denotes server): Murray has a chance to break back, Djokovic’s focus slipping, but he overcooks a forehand. Bye bye, break point! Djokovic holds.“So
far so good for Murray’s genius game plan,” says Simon McMahon. “Andy
will keep going, he has all the street fighting qualities of Jimmy
Connors. Unfortunately Djokovic is not Mikael Pernfors.”
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 7-5, 2-1 Murray* (*denotes server): From 15-30 down, good serving gets Murray to relative safety. But we’re going through the motions now.
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 7-5, 1-0 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
has never come back from two sets down against Djokovic, even though he
got close in Paris last year. But he lost that day and he’s going to
lose today. Especially not now. He fluffs an easy smash, putting into
the net, and Djokovic has two break points. Murray saves the first.
Djokovic takes the second with a staggering backhand pass down the line.
Novak Djokovic wins the second set 7-5; he leads 6-1, 7-5!
Serving
for a two-set lead, it’s a strange time for Djokovic to hit his first
double-fault, letting Murray into the game at 30-all. It’s not quite
over yet. Even more astonishingly, a repeat gives Murray a break point.
Yet Murray nets a backhand. This isn’t exactly a classic and Djokovic
has played better than this, but Murray is tenser in the key moments,
almost too anxious. Another errant backhand gives Djokovic a set point
and Murray limply nets a forehand. There have been periods of dominance
from Murray, but he’s rarely convinced, as though he’s come into this a
beaten man. Does he truly believe when he steps on to court with this
guy?
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 6-5 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
wins three straight points for 40-0. He’s the aggressor at the moment.
Yet Djokovic isn’t going away that easily. Murray misses a forehand for
40-15 and Djokovic makes it 40-30 with a crunching forehand, before he
wins a 36-shot rally. Murray was up 40-0, but now he’s facing a break
point, Djokovic picking him off the net. Murray is living dangerously.
His shots are just about clearing the net. One clips the net cord and
almost lands long. It’s not happening for him. Djokovic is just putting
the ball back into play, asking the question, and Murray comes up with
the wrong answer, skewing a backhand long. Djokovic grabs the crucial
break and Murray, who was looking dominant, is fading.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 5-5 Murray (*denotes server): A
break up 15 minutes ago, now Djokovic finds himself serving to stay in
the second set and he begins the game by sending a backhand long for
0-15. The call is late, Djokovic stares, but he doesn’t challenge.
Murray is two points from the set when a huge backhand makes it 15-30,
but he nets a forehand when he was in a promising position. Djokovic is
under the cosh but he holds because of more errors from Murray.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 4-5 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
quickly charges into a 30-0 lead, but there’s work to be done when he
chops a backhand slice long to make it 30-all, before a terrific
forehand return from Djokovic brings him a break point as Murray
stretches and nets his forehand riposte. Djokovic is threatening to let
all the air out of Murray, leaving him in a saggy heap on the floor. Yet
Murray is granite. He saves it with a stunning sliced serve down the
middle for deuce. An ace earns him a game point, but it’s not over yet,
Murray knocking a backhand long. Nothing comes to him easily. This is
hard graft and cracks are appearing, Murray smashing an emotional
forehand long to give Djokovic a second break point. Murray has to
produce his best - he does. A coruscating cross-court backhand saves him
and another brings him the advantage. Djokovic nets a backhand, a rare
mistake from him, and Murray holds!
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 4-4 Murray (*denotes server): Murray
has made so many errors. As good as Djokovic has been, Murray is
beating himself at times. He has a presentable opportunity for two break
points; instead he needlessly splutters a forehand into the net to make
it 30-all. Yet he keeps plugging away and he gets away with a slightly
poor drop volley, a hurtling Djokovic unable to get a forehand over the
net! Improbably, Murray has his first break point since the first game
of the match. He didn’t take that one. He simply has to take this one.
Djokovic drops a ball short. Murray arrives like a tornado and arrows a
punishing backhand into the corner. He’s broken him at last! But wait.
Djokovic is challenging. He thinks it might have gone out. Murray walks
back to the baseline, his eyes closed, talking to himself, begging
HawkEye to bring him good news. “Please, please,” he says. The camera
zooms in. And the ball just clipped the line! Murray breaks back!
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 4-3 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
double-faults on the first point and aces on the second. Last time that
happened, the game lasted 12 minutes. Djokovic had four break points in
that game. He gets a break point in this game, fighting back from 30-15
to 30-40, grinding Murray down, testing his patience, his willpower,
his concentration levels. It’s too much for an increasingly frayed
Murray. He’s vulnerable. A look at a second serve allows Djokovic to
take control. He works Murray over and though the Scot does well to keep
him at bay, eventually he sloppily knocks a careless backhand long and
Djokovic breaks.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 3-3 Murray (*denotes server): Djokovic
is making some very odd noises as he strains to stay in the first
point, Murray dominating the rally initially. Yet Murray can’t land the
final blow and Djokovic asserts himself and wins the point with a
cross-court forehand. His ability to extricate himself from sticky
situations is amazing. Yet Murray’s level is rising. He has a sniff of a
chance at 15-30, before two ordinary errors make it 40-30, but good
depth allows him to force deuce. He should get a break point - but he
dumps a gimme of a forehand volley into the net. Djokovic holds. He
keeps slamming the door in Murray’s face with extreme force.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 2-3 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
holds to 15 and the last point is a minor classic, Murray
drop-shotting, Djokovic drop-shotting then lobbing, Murray retrieving,
Djokovic smashing poorly, Murray spanking a splendid forehand past him.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 2-2 Murray (*denotes server): Murray wins the first point. He’s going to break! Or not. Djokovic wins the next four without any fuss at all.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 1-2 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray’s
second double-fault makes it 0-15. At least this one didn’t come on a
break point, and he responds with an ace. The game goes to 30-all. When
Murray has a second serve, he looks about as comfortable as Mark
Corrigan at an illegal rave. The game goes to deuce and Djokovic then
earns a break point with a moment of absurdity, sliding on to a Murray
shot into the left corner and beating him with a preposterous backhand
pass. Murray has to suck it up and he gets over it quickly, saving the
break point with a big serve, only to sticking a self-conscious forehand
wide. Too many errors. It looks like Djokovic is going to make the
breakthrough here, but Murray defends well and Djokovic swerves a
frustrated forehand wide. Another forehand error from Murray gives
Djokovic a third break point, but he saves it with a smash. Murray is
then given a warning from the umpire before a fourth break point; he
perversely saves the day with an ace. Somehow he survives. He finally
earns an ad point when Djokovic nets a backhand and Murray holds with an
ace. That game took around 12 minutes. “Andy is doing a great job of
getting into Novak’s head by giving him the first set,” says Simon
McMahon. “I reckon he’ll give him this one too, and probably let him go a
break up in the third. It’s genius, I tell you.”
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 1-1 Murray (*denotes server): A
simple hold for Djokovic, Murray never in the game. “Do you think
Djokovic can win the golden slam?” says Alan Zawadzki. “It hasn’t been
done before in the men’s game and he’d have to win two competitions for
the first time in order to achieve it, as well as defending the other 3
of course.” I currently think that he could time travel if he put his
mind to it.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 0-1 Murray* (*denotes server): So
here’s a problem for Murray: he’s never beaten Djokovic from a set
down. He roars when he wins an attritional rally for 30-0, but Djokovic
wins the next two points with a couple of magnificent shots. Brief
moments of encouragement for Murray are put into perspective by those
flashes of Djokovic’s class. Yet Murray does hold. The comeback is on!
The
first two points are shared, Murray reading a drop shot and charging
forward to put a forehand away, but Djokovic’s cross-court forehand is a
major source of the damage that’s being inflicted on Murray. Another
makes it 30-15 and Djokovic carves out his first set point when another
drop shot has the desired effect, opening up the court for him to dink a
forehand away, Murray pulled out of position. Yet if there are any
positives for Murray to take from this debacle of an opening set, it’s
that he’s beginning to compete. He saves the set point, attacking a weak
second serve with a backhand winner. Djokovic can’t take a second set
point either, netting a forehand, but he earns a third chance with a low
forehand winner and Murray’s humiliation is complete when he nets a
backhand return. That only took 30 minutes. The good news for Murray is
that the first set is over. The bad news is he’s going to have play at
least another two sets before he can get off court.
First set: Djokovic 5-1 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
is serving to stay in the set and also to avoid the ignominy of a
first-set bagel. But this is nightmarish stuff at the moment, as he
slaps a forehand volley into the net to gift Djokovic a 0-15 lead. He
drags a forehand wide for 15-30. Yet he shakes his head clear with an
ace for 30-all and then stirs when he crashes a forehand pass Djokovic,
who really should have won the point. Djokovic then slaps a forehand
return into the net and Murray is finally on the board. “Come on!” he
cries. Yes. Come on.
First set: Djokovic* 5-0 Murray (*denotes server): Djokovic
swings an ace out wide to lead 40-0 and holds to 15 with a wonderfully
disguised backhand back behind Murray, who needs to get his head in the
game quickly! There’s a final going on here and currently it’s taking
place without him! What a start from Djokovic. He can’t miss at the
moment.
First set: Djokovic 4-0 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
stops the rot a little, winning the first point when Djokovic knocks a
forehand long. Yet against Djokovic, Murray hits shots that would be
winners against most players. Against this guy, they just get returned
with interest and Djokovic wins the next two points for 15-30. Murray is
flirting with serious trouble here and a tame forehand into the net
gives Djokovic two break points. Given that Djokovic has never lost from
a set up against Murray before, these have the feel of match points -
and a wretched game for a confused, frazzled, muddled Murray ends with
him drifting a dismal forehand past the baseline. There are gasps in the
crowd. Djokovic breaks for a second time. He’s beating Murray up. The
first set is gone.
First set: Djokovic* 3-0 Murray (*denotes server): The
first point looks like a baseline grind - until Djokovic changes the
pace with a backhand drop shot. Perfectly timed, perfectly placed, and
Murray is stranded. Djokovic is in the mood. A stunning forehand makes
it 40-0 and Murray is beginning to understand what Federer went through
on Thursday. If it can happen to Federer, who pretty much is the best of
us, it can happen to anyone. Another clean backhand forces Murray to
net a forehand and Djokovic consolidates the break by holding to love.
First set: Djokovic 2-0 Murray* (*denotes server): Murray
begins his first service game shakily, slicing a backhand into the net,
before Djokovic gobbles up a second serve with a huge backhand return
for 15-30. Murray’s then facing two break points, netting a forehand for
15-40. Then he double-faults. Oh dear. “We’d all really, really, really
like Andy to win, but secretly we’re all really, really really scared
that Novak is going to do really, really, really nasty things to the
plucky Scot, and grind him into really, really, really small fragments
of dust, leaving Andy looking really, really, really jealous in the
background shot of Novak picking up yet another silver pot,” says Jeremy
Boyce.
First set: Djokovic* 1-0 Murray (*denotes server): Novak Djokovic, the odds-on favourite, gets the 2016 Australian Open
men’s final underway. He looks over at the net and sees an opponent who
simply refuses to go away. He sees a threat. Despite it all, he knows
he’s probably going to have to be at his very best to beat Andy Murray.
Djokovic thunders into a 30-0 lead, walloping a forehand down the line
on the second point, but Murray crunches back to 30-all with some
positive tennis. An attritional rally follows and it ends with Djokovic
netting a backhand, handing Murray an early break point. Murray pushes,
but Djokovic suddenly bursts into life, a brilliant backhand from left
to right saving the break point and forcing deuce. It’s deuce for a
while. Yet Djokovic zings an ace down the middle, before wriggling
clear. A tricky opening game, but he emerges unscathed, and Murray will
need to watch himself now.
Novak Djokovic has won the toss and chosen to serve first. “Morning Jacob,” says Simon McMahon. “So, here we go again. Djokovic v. Murray. The Borg and McEnroe de nos jours.
The Ray Purchase and Steven Toast of men’s tennis. And Andy no doubt
thinking Novak ‘Bloody’ Djokovic. But whatever happens today Andy Murray
is, IMHO, without doubt the greatest individual sportsman that Scotland
has ever produced. Jackie Stewart, Ken Buchanan, Colin Montgomerie,
Chris Hoy, Stephen Hendry, Jocky Wilson - all greats, but Andy surpasses
them all. Whilst remaining entirely likeable, good humoured and
seemingly unaffected by the trappings of wealth and fame. I really,
really, really want him to win. But I won’t think any less of him if he doesn’t. Come on Andy!”
Here come the players! Djokovic resists the
temptation to make out he’s injured during the walk to the court. A
wasted opportunity there. He really could have got in Murray’s head
there.
The obvious weakness for Murray is his second serve. Raonic
took advantage of it in the third-set tie-break and it will need to be
much better than usual against the best returner in the game. My
colleague Kevin Mitchell came up with this ominous statistic: Djokovic
has tied for third on the tournament list with 134 points from 217
second serves, at 62%, to Murray’s 138 from 243 at 57%, which places him
equal 17th. “There has been a lot of talks about his second serve,”
Djokovic said/warned/laughed, “and I’m sure he and his team are very
much aware of that.”
So how did Murray prepare for his fifth Australian Open final? By
staying up till 1am, of course. But he had a good reason. He was a
smiling presence in the stands yesterday as he watched his brother Jamie
win his first grand slam title, teaming up with his new doubles partner
Bruno Soares and beating Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Whatever happens today, it’s already a famous weekend for the Murray
family. “It was funny to see Andy there at the end,” Jamie said. “He’d
obviously been watching the match in the locker room. I didn’t know
that. I thought he left to go back to the hotel, obviously. Maybe he
came back when he thought we had a chance. We were [all] in the locker
room for a little bit before. He was obviously practising. We kicked him
off the court. He was having food and stuff. I thought him and the guys
had left to go back to the hotel. I was shocked to see him there.”
Andy Murray has been to four Australian Open finals.
He’s accumulated a grand total of two sets, 56 games and four defeats.
In 2010, Roger Federer was too good and Murray was too passive. In 2011,
Novak Djokovic could have won with one hand behind his back and his
shoelaces tied together. In 2013, Djokovic again, Murray spooked by a
feather in the pivotal second-set tie-break. In 2015, Djokovic completed
the hat-trick, fooling a gullible Murray into thinking he was injured
and then racing away with it 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 6-0. That’s a crushing sequence. And
it gets worse. This is Djokovic’s sixth Australian Open final and the
world No1 is five for five, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga felled in 2008, Murray in
2011, 2013 and 2015, Rafael Nadal unable to stop him in their 2012
epic. Djokovic loves this tournament and he loves Rod Laver Arena, where
the conditions are ideally suited to his surgical, wear-you-down,
beat-you-up tennis. Though Stan Wawrinka managed to beat him here in
their 2014 quarter-final, Djokovic’s aura in Melbourne is starting to
resemble Federer’s at Wimbledon and Nadal’s at Roland Garros. Victory
today will bring him his 11th grand slam title, edging him ever closer
to Federer’s total of 17, and spark talk of the calendar slam, after his
attempt to win all four majors last year was ended by Wawrinka in
Paris. So Djokovic is the heavy favourite. Last
Sunday, he wheezed past Gilles Simon in five sets, making a century of
unforced errors against the troublesome Frenchman, and he wasn’t too
convincing in his quarter-final against Kei Nishikori on Tuesday either.
Thursday, however, saw Djokovic hit new heights in his semi-final
against Federer, obliterating his great rival in an opening two sets
that looked more like a father showing off against his son than a match
between two of the best players in the world. He leads his head-to-head
with Murray 21-9 and he’s not lost to him in a grand slam since the 2013
Wimbledon final, beating him in Australia, Paris and New York since
then. He’s lost one of their past 11 meetings, succumbing in the Rogers
Cup final last year, and it is difficult to come up with many compelling
reasons to back against him. Yet Murray is back for more, like Rocky summoning the willpower to drag himself off the canvas. He’s
carrying the scars of those previous disappointments, his pregnant wife
is back in England, he’s had to cope with his father-in-law falling ill
last weekend, he needed five sets to defeat Milos Raonic on Friday and
everyone expects him to lose. But he’s back for more. Some might say
he’s a glutton for punishment, others simply marvel at the streak of
stubbornness that makes him such an incredible competitor. He’ll tell
himself that he’s won two grand slam finals against Djokovic before,
that he was close in their five-set encounter in the French Open last
year, that he’s the world No2 and the man who more or less
single-handedly won the Davis Cup for Great Britain in November. It may
end in despair and heartbreak again, but he’ll keep plugging away. What
else is he supposed to do? The players will be on court at 8.30am GMT and 7.30pm in Melbourne.
Updated
Australia Open 2016 Novak Djokovic hits Andy Murray for six - Today Hot News
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