Djokovic Dominates Down Under

Before either one of them hit a ball or even retreated back to the baseline, it was clear Novak Djokovic was going to win. As the coin toss was taking place, Djokovic was grinning at Murray, clearly thinking about what he was about to do to him. Murray on the other hand looked like he had soiled himself. And so, the tone of the match was set.

If their stare down at the net wasn’t telling enough, Murray’s first service game went 15 minutes, before he managed to escape with a hold. While Murray hung in for most of the 1st set, Djokovic was clearly dictating play, ripping huge forehands that were landing inches away from all kinds of lines. Eventually, Djokovic broke at 4-4 and Murray was simply toast.

So what happened? Did Murray blow another grand slam final?
I don’t think so but it’s clear that he needs to do the following things better if he wants to win one. 1) Take chances even if they don’t pay off. Murray seemed like he was waiting for something right to just fall his way. When he’s beaten Nadal and Djokovic in the past, he’s created his own luck and really made them feel the pressure of his game by ripping forehands and cranking backhands up the line. 2) Improve the 2nd shot after a big serve. Too many times, he found himself back at the baseline hitting 15 more balls to win the point. 3) Come to net more - he’s got great hands and should use them for something besides playing defense. 4) Improve the body language - people rag on him all the time for this, but it remains true and a major problem. If you look like you want to go home, your opponent will send you there.

While these are all things Murray could have improved upon, I still think that Novak was and is simply a better player. In the past few months, Djokovic has turned into a monster that has stolen Nadal’s mentality and Federer’s fitness. Nole has been hitting these penetrating shots that wear opponents down and he’s barely giving up any free points. He seems to be floating around the court and able to turn defense into offense out of nowhere. To make thing worse for his opponents, he has die hard Serbian fans and a box that isn’t afraid to piss people off with their cheering.

Bottom line is while Andy's miscues were numerous, the only talk should be about Novak Djokovic and the way he dominated the Australian Open. He’s playing the best tennis of his career and if he can maintain this level of play, he’ll be the one to beat for many grand slams to come.