World number 1 Novak Djokovic won his record six Australian Open finals by defeating the British Andy Murray in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3). With this defeat, Andy Murray the league of those tennis greats who have been consigned to a fifth defeat in championship deciders at Melbourne Park. Before Murray achieved this infamous feat, his former coach Ivan Lendl was another player to have lost five finals in the 1980s.
On the other hand, Djokovic equaled Roy Emerson’s long-standing record of six Australian Open titles while he also increased his career haul to 11 Grand Slam titles to join Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg at No. 5 on the all-time list.
“First of all I need to pay the respect to Andy and his team. Tough match, tough luck tonight,” Djokovic said. “You’re a great champion, great friend, very committed to this sport. I’m sure in the future you’re going to have many opportunities,” Djokovic was quoted by news agency AP.
During the championships, Murray had to go through few distractions as he left his heavily pregnant wife Kim back home and his father-in-law being rushed to hospital by ambulance during the tournament.
Murray acknowledged this after his defeat. He said, “It’s been a tough few weeks for me away from the court.”
Murray was in tears as he thanked his fans, “You’ve been a legend the last two weeks. Thank you so much for all your support. I’ll be on the next flight home.”
