MELBOURNE, Australia—To beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final these days takes something of a miraculous effort. And just like Roger Federer last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, there was no miracle for Andy Murray Sunday night in Melbourne.
For the fourth time in his career, the Scot fell to Djokovic in an Australian Open final, this time by the straight-set score of 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3). Murray is now 0-5 in Aussie Open title matches; Djokovic is 6-0.
During the past two weeks, almost everything has been going in Djokovic’s favor. Other than a five-set challenge from Gilles Simon in the fourth round, in which the Serb made 100 unforced errors, it has been smooth sailing for Djokovic in Oz, including his swift dismissal of Roger Federer in the semifinals.
To take it a step further, the past year has been smooth sailing for Djokovic. He finished 2015 with three major titles and an 82-6 record, and hasn’t skipped a beat in 2016, taking the tune-up title in Doha without dropping a set (which included a 6-1, 6-2 rout of Rafael Nadal in the final). Djokovic has been virtually untouchable, and Murray needed to be at his absolute peak to stop him.
But Murray appeared fragile in the final. It didn’t help that his journey to this point had been the opposite of smooth. He’s been riddled with anxiety from the moment he arrived Down Under, with his wife, Kim Sears, nearly nine months pregnant. If she were to go into labor prematurely, Murray said he would immediately fly home to Surrey.
Midway through the tournament, Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed in the stands while watching Ana Ivanovic, who he coaches. If he hadn’t been released from the hospital the very next day, Murray said he would have left the event. That’s two impossible-to-control factors that have nearly sent Murray packing.
“I’ve never been in that position before, so it’s as close as I’ve sort of been to leaving a Grand Slam,” Murray said. “It was a tough, tough couple of days. Thankfully he’s fine now. I just want to get home.”