MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Jamie Murray is leaving Melbourne with one Australian Open trophy for his family after capturing the men’s doubles title with partner Bruno Soares in a match ending early Sunday morning.
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But the break he earned in the opening game of the match was the only one he got all night.
It means the British number one is the clear underdog ahead of the clash but he has stretched Djokovic before and can take belief from others who have turned the tide.
The finalists career head-to-head would suggest that Djokovic ought to be the commanding favourite, he has a 21-9 record over Murray and has lost only once in the 11 meetings between the two since the 2013 Wimbledon final. But for it to be the first time to happen is incredible really. “What matters is what happens Sunday”.
“When he beat Novak here, the same thing as well”.
“If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did”. Murray twice trailed by a set, but he took the fourth and the fifth to get the job done in four hours and three minutes of play. “Novak has played extremely well in his last couple of matches in particular and he obviously loves playing on this court”.
Despite a rash of uncharacteristic unforced errors, Williams made Kerber push all the way by breaking back when the German player was serving for the match.
Murray’s second serve, once considered a weakness, has more power and the extra oomph gives him more weapons to complement his already formidable return and defensive game. “We had them on the ropes in the second set and they hung in there”, Nestor said of Murray and Soares. “That was big. But against anyone it’s one of the most important shots, if not the most important, especially tonight”.
It was the 28-year-old Scot’s fourth win in seven encounters with the much-improved Canadian, who slowed in the final set as he completed the match grimacing from a right groin injury.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s probably the most heartbroken I’ve been on court”, Raonic said of his injury.
The top seed is chasing his 11th overall Grand Slam title, which would put him in a tie with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver for fifth on the all-time list.
It was the newly formed partnership’s first doubles title, in their first Grand Slam together – a feat last achieved by Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock at Wimbledon in 2014.
“It’s a possibility for me to make history, which is of course another great imperative for me for tomorrow’s match”, Djokovic said on Saturday.
“I can try to do my best to try to keep playing on this level”.
Andy said he finds it too stressful to watch his brother live but the world number two was in the crowd, along with Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, for the presentation ceremony, which took place just after 1am. “They’ve been knocking on the door for several Grand Slam finals”.
Asked in his post-match interview whether he was ready to become a dad, Andy replied: “I mean, I hope so”.
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“It’s two games that are very much alike, so it’s basically who’s going to outplay who from the baseline”, Djokovic said.
