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Djokovic defeats Murray for fifth Australian Open title

By Jacob Akindele
01 February 2015   |   6:38 pm
NOVAK Djokovic defeated Andy Murray to win his fifth Australian Open. The final match score of 7-6; (5) 3-6; 6-3; 6-0, did not reflect the intensity and closeness of the contest, which featured many long rallies by the best baseline defenders in the game. It was a game of defense. There were few aces (eight…

NOVAK Djokovic defeated Andy Murray to win his fifth Australian Open. The final match score of 7-6; (5) 3-6; 6-3; 6-0, did not reflect the intensity and closeness of the contest, which featured many long rallies by the best baseline defenders in the game. It was a game of defense. There were few aces (eight by Djokovic and 10 by Murray), while both players returned serves well. 

 Djokovic won 46 per cent of serves he returned and Murray won 40 per cent  They were close in all departments and the match tally had 136 total points won by the champion to the runner-up’s 110 points as they slugged it out over a period of three hours and 39 minutes.

  In the first set, each player lost his serve two times. In the tie-break at six games each, Murray led by four points to two, but the champion took five points to clinch the set 7-6.    

  Murray won his serve for the opening game in the second set and took Djokovic’s serve to go up 2-0. But Djokovic broke back immediately and from that stage, things went downhill for the Briton. 

  Serving with new balls, Djokovic held to level and then broke Murray in the fifth game and held his own, winning 13 consecutive points to take a 4-2 lead in games. Although Murray double-faulted the first point of the crucial seventh game, he took it with an ace at game point. At that moment, two errant spectators hung flags over the backdrop, requiring the quick intervention of security. The interruption lasted five minutes. 

  When play resumed, Djokovic was down 0-15 on his serve and an outright service return winner from Murray’s racket put him ahead in points as he took the game when Djokovic hit a forehand out. At four games apiece, Murray hit a service winner and an unsuccessful challenge by Djokovic gave Murray 30-0 and eventually the game on a service return error by Djokovic. The crowd roared. 

  Serving to level games, Djokovic was up 40-0, but Murray deuced the game with a backhand winning shot and got the first advantage point that was erased with an ace from Djokovic unsuccessfully challenged by Andy. Djokovic struggled through two further deuces before retaining the game for five games apiece. 

  Murray faced three break points in his serve but survived to lead 6-5.  Djokovic won his service, but the Briton won the tiebreak seven points to four.

  Djokovic was down 0-40 in the first game of the third set and Murray broke the serve and held his own to lead 2-0. Grunting louder in the long rallies, Djokovik took Murray’s serve in the third game and held his own to level at two games each. The games were then being won on quick points by the server, but Murray lost his serve in the sixth game but although down a break point, he succeeded in taking the seventh game. 

  Djokovic broke Murray’s serve at love and served out the set without losing a point.

From that point, things went downhill for the Briton. Although he served an ace to open the first game, he lost while his opponent won easily to lead 2-0. When Djokovic hit a reverse crosscourt backhand winner to cinch the third game, Murray banged his racket against the court. With greater poise, Djokovic went on the offensive. 

  At 40-30, he hit a drop shot that Murray ran down but lost on indecision at the moment of impact. The champion took the fifth game by breaking Murray’s serve without losing a point, despite an unsuccessful challenge by Murray. Serving for the match, Novak had a match-point at 40-15, lost it, but sealed the match on the next opportunity.  After shaking hands with his opponent, the champion tossed his racket to the crowd and then pulled off and tossed his shirt as well as many towels.  It was Murray’s fourth appearance in the finals in Melbourne. 

Just as with the Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in the ladies finals, Djokovic and Murray had a great pay day, collecting prize money of 3.1 million dollars and 1.55 million dollars respectively.

 

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