A look at the five grand slam finals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have contested against each other ahead of a sixth meeting at the Australian Open.
Australian Open final — 2011
In their first grand slam final, Djokovic put Murray to the sword and established himself as the man who would break the duopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Serb claimed his second grand slam final 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 against a flat-footed Murray, who appeared drained by his four-set semi-final against David Ferrer. "Djokovic not only broke the Nadal-Federer stranglehold on the game's major trophies, the 23-year-old Serbian made a compelling case to be admitted to their elite company," said the Sydney Morning Herald.
US Open final — 2012
Murray broke through for his first grand slam title and it took some doing, as he edged Djokovic over nearly five hours before finally winning it 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. Murray, buoyed by his London Olympics gold medal earlier that year, snapped a sequence of eight straight five-set wins by Djokovic. “If I had lost this one from two sets up, that would have been a tough one to take,” Murray said.
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Australian Open final — 2013
Djokovic underlined his physical superiority as he recovered from a set down to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 and become the first man in the Open era to win three Australian Open titles in a row. Again the match was a dogfight as the first two sets alone ran for well over two hours. One crucial moment came at 2-2 in the second-set tiebreaker, when Murray stopped in the middle of a second serve to catch a white feather as it floated to the ground — and then double-faulted, giving Djokovic an opening that he bolted through. “I thought it was a good idea to move (the feather),” Murray said. “Maybe it wasn’t because I obviously double-faulted. At this level it can come down to just a few points here or there.”
Wimbledon final — 2013
Murray beat Djokovic in straight sets for the only time in their grand slam history, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. “I know what it’s like losing in a Wimbledon final and I know what it’s like winning one, and it’s a lot better winning. The hard work is worth it,” Murray said. Djokovic explained his below-par performance by saying he was exhausted from his five-set semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro.
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Australian Open final — 2015
Djokovic’s powers of endurance were again a talking point as he overcame a “physical crisis” and recovered from two sets down to beat Murray in another thriller 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. Djokovic looked wobbly and was gasping for breath in the third set before he came roaring back to win 12 of the last 13 games. “You could see that I had a crisis end of the second, beginning of the third,” said Djokovic, who denied he was indulging in theatrics to throw Murray off his game. “I just felt very exhausted and I needed some time to regroup and recharge and get back on track. That’s what I’ve done.”
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