Djokovic grinds down Murray to join the greats

The cool Pacific blue of the Plexicushion court, illuminated by the lights around Rod Laver Arena, was an island of elite sporting toil under the Melbourne night sky as tennis history was written into the books. Novak Djokovic, in defeating Andy Murray over four sets, became the first male player to win the Australian Open three times in a row: “It’s an incredible feeling winning this trophy once more – definitely my favourite Grand Slam. I love this court”.

The match which broke records was by no means a classic. It failed to live up to the six-hour tennis feast served up last year between Djokovic and Nadal, or September’s US Open final, but that is to take nothing away from the achievement. With half a dozen Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is now truly among the all-time greats, equal with the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and legendary Australian Jack Crawford.

After his US Open breakthrough, reaching the final was the minimum target for Murray, a reflection of his progress over the last six months and what the people and pundits expect. Gone are the days of quarter and semi-final exits endured through the Henman era, replaced with the unprecedented prospect of back-to-back maiden Grand Slams. Unfortunately, there will always be a minority who will never warm to the Scot despite his achievements. One disgruntled TV viewer tweeted back in the UK: “I’ve seen Nadal play through messed knee injuries and Murray was pissing his pants over a blister! #Weak.”

It’s interesting that the players themselves are said to enjoy the Australian Open the most out of the four slams and, indeed, Djokovic lavished praise on the tournament facilities in his post-match interview. But with a day less to rest, due to Friday’s five-set slog against Federer, Murray may think otherwise as he crumbled physically in sets three and four. Djokovic remained in second gear during the deciding sets, fresh from Thursday’s 90-minute outing against Ferrer. Playing both men’s semi-finals on the Friday afternoon (like Wimbledon) would surely work better than any Australian treatment technique.

Djokovic’s better physical preparations did not influence the first two sets, though. Murray possessed greater energy and determination in the first set tie-break before dominating for large spells in the following set and narrowly missing out on break points opportunities. The roles were reversed, however, as Djokovic turned the tables in the second tie-break. Arguably the turning point in the match came in Murray’s fourth service game of the third set, a remarkable, draining 36-stroke rally won by Djokovic, which deflated Murray’s belief and, crucially, his aggression as Djokovic strolled to victory.

Of course, it’s easy to criticise Murray’s negativity at this point. But you try playing the tennis equivalent of The Rubberboy, striking would-be-winners but finding they are returned with bankrupting interest, and suffering from the pain of blisters and a tight hamstring for good measure; it’s a frustrating business indeed. The scenario brings us back to the debate over modern men’s tennis; the current top three, plus Nadal when he returns, are arguably playing at a standard and intensity never seen before. That’s why Murray deliberately missed the BBC Sports Personality ceremony in December; to endure a gruelling pre-season training programme in Miami. Watching a British player compete toe-to-toe with some of the greatest players in history is something to be cherished, something that Wimbledon-watching couch potatoes just don’t understand.

Despite today’s disappointment, Murray topped the Australian Open’s social leaderboard rankings, with over 1 million tweets using the hastag #Murray. On a more serious note, he has picked up ATP ranking points, is closing in on the world number two spot and has much to look forward to in the coming months. The Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 events take place in March and, in the former, Murray will be looking to improve on last year’s early exit. On the clay, a surface Murray has most potential to improve upon, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome all follow as preparations culminate for the French Open.

At least one Grand Slam will follow for Murray in 2013 and, all in all, it hasn’t been a bad start to the year for the man from Dunblane. So cheer up, folks.