Murray believes fortunes can soon turn against nemesis Djokovic

He did beat the Serb to win both his Grand Slam titles, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2012, and also took his scalp on route to claiming Olympic gold in London.

But the world number one has proved unbeatable at the Australian Open, Murray is a five-time losing finalist in Melbourne and four times it’s been rival Djokovic on the other side of the net.

“I don't know how far off I was,” he said, following a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 defeat that saw Djokovic equal the record of Roy Emerson to claim his sixth title Down Under.

“The first set I wasn't there but the second and third sets I do think were very close.

“I do think I could have played a bit better and I didn't think I hit my forehand as well as I could have done.

“When I did in the third set, that helped me out a lot. I was able to get myself into the net more and I was able to play more offensive tennis.

"Most of the matches we played in slams have been competitive. Whether that looks the same from the outside or not, I don't know. For a three-set match, two hours and 50 minutes, I didn't make it easy for him

“I saw some of the stats. He won 27 more points than me and I had 25 or 26 more unforced errors and that’s the difference.”

Murray admits his mind has not been 100 percent focussed on tennis in the last fortnight, with his wife Kim back in the UK and due to give birth to their first child in the coming days.

In addition, he almost left the tournament after his father-in-law, tennis coach Nigel Sears, collapsed while watching a match in Melbourne.

“Kim’s been amazing,” added Murray, who was on a plane home within hours of his match concluding.

“She’s handled everything unbelievably well and it’s been very tough. I have to thank her for allowing me to play and stay here with everything that was going on.”

Sportsbeat 2016