Djokovic defeats Murray in straight sets to win 6th Aussie Open title

Novak Djokovic still reigns supreme in Melbourne.

The world No. 1 defeated Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to claim his record sixth Australian Open crown, and his fifth in the past six years.

Alas, it was another runner-up plate for Murray, who's now the only man in the Open Era to ever lose five finals at any one major without winning it. Four of those losses have come at Djokovic's hands.

"I feel like I've been here before," Murray said with a wry chuckle as he was awarded that darned plate and took the mic to make his consolation speech one more time.

He has no reason to hang his head. At the end of a tumultuous and emotional fortnight - which he wasn't even sure he'd end up sticking around for - he played a gritty, gutsy, hard-nosed match, battling to the bitter end despite being offered multiple chances to wave the white flag.

He threw everything he had at Djokovic, rebounding from a disastrous first set to produce some brilliant tennis in the nail-biting second, and recovering from an opening-game break in the third to force a tiebreaker. He ratcheted up his aggression, hit bravely in big moments, and reached back for a little extra on first serves. He defended like a maniac. His crosscourt backhand was popping off. In the end, none of it mattered. He was up against an avalanche.

There's not much to say about Djokovic that hasn't been said about him already. He's a force of nature, and he is without peer, now and maybe ever. The gap between him and the rest of the men's field is about as wide as such a gap has ever been. After winning five of the past seven majors that have been played, he's up to 11 in his career, tied with Bjorn Borg for fourth in the Open Era and just three shy of Rafa Nadal and Pete Sampras. The way he's playing, he could well be tied with them for second by the time the US Open wraps in September.

Much like he did against Roger Federer in the semis, Djokovic set the tone for this match with a commanding, virtuosic first set. He dictated nearly every point, nailed targets the size of nickels in the corners, dragged Murray every which way around the court, and made him pay for every missed first serve.

The defining moment of the match came in the 11th game of the second set. Murray had secured a crucial rebreak just three games earlier to get back on serve at 5-5, and as he looked to get his nose out ahead, he sprinted to a 40-0 lead. But whether it's in a match or a set or a game or a point, there's no tougher task in tennis than putting Djokovic away. Murray couldn't quite stick a forehand on the sideline. Djokovic attacked a second serve and then ripped a crosscourt forehand winner. On the third game point, the two engaged in a wind-sucking 36-shot rally, and Murray blinked first. It was classic Djokovic, refusing to be pushed off the baseline, and refusing to miss. He broke two points later, then served out the set.

To add insult to injury, Djokovic broke Murray in the first game of the third set with a silly-good wraparound backhand on the stretch, which grazed the outer inch of the sideline. It was the conclusion of a three-step formula for how to demoralize an opponent.

Murray gamely fought back to take things to a breaker, but he'd expended too much emotional and physical energy just to get to that point. Two double-faults proved his undoing, and Djokovic closed things out with an ace up the T.

Once upon a time, he would bellow triumphantly to the heavens and tear his shirt off after winning a Slam. This time around, he just smiled, silently raised a fist, and walked to the net to greet Murray.

The euphoric outbursts are no longer necessary. He expects to win now, every time out. Each tournament is his to lose. The tennis world sits in the palm of his hand.