Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates his win over Britain's Andy Murray on Sunday.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Andy Murray could not beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
But then Murray is hardly alone. Nobody has beaten Djokovic at Melbourne Park since 2010 when he lost in five sets in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Since then Djokovic has reeled off three straight titles on the true-bouncing blue court, generating squeak after squeak with his quick-moving feet and innumerable breaches in his opponents’ morale with his ability to contort and extend his body in pursuit of others’ best efforts.
Murray, his boyhood friend and one-time doubles partner, knows Djokovic’s strengths as well as anyone. He shares many of them but on this clear night in Melbourne, after more than holding his own in the early phases of the match, he gradually faded — suffering from blisters on his feet and also from his opponent’s strengths — as Djokovic put the finishing touches on his 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Djokovic is now the first man in the 45-year Open era to win three consecutive titles at the Australian Open. Only two other men won have won three or more Australian Championships in a row: Jack Crawford from 1931 to 1933 and Roy Emerson from 1963 to 1967.
But neither of those men nor perhaps any other man has covered the corners quite like the elastic-limbed Djokovic.
“His record here is obviously incredible,” Murray said. “So well done again.”
