Murray looks to claim second slam

Jan 27 2013

Andy Murray will look to claim his second grand slam title on Sunday morning when he faces Novak Djokovic in the final of the men's singles event at the Australian Open tennis championship.

The British number one will create history if he triumphs in Melbourne as no male player in the Open era has followed up winning their first grand slam title by also winning the next available major crown.

Murray, 25, also becomes the first Briton to reach three Australian Open finals after winning a five-set thriller against Roger Federer on Friday.

However, Djokovic has the upper hand in their head-to-head record - with the Serbian having won 10 of their 17 meetings, including the final of the competition in 2011.

Loyal fans in his home town of Dunblane, Perthshire, will gather together to show their support, with Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond saying the whole country will be cheering Murray on. The Scot finally clinched his first grand slam title in September last year when he beat Djokovic in the US Open final - a month after being crowned Olympic champion.

For Britons it meant their 76-year wait for a male tennis grand slam winner was finally over - the last British man to achieve that feat was Fred Perry at the US Open in 1936.

Mr Salmond said: "In Australia the Melbourne Cup is the horse race that stops the nation, but Murray's bid for a title in Melbourne will be the match that brings Scotland to a standstill. After Andy's victory over Novak Djokovic to take the US Open title, there is no doubt this will be a clash of the tennis titans.

"I know I won't be the only one glued to the television as the whole of Scotland cheers Andy on for back to back grand slam success."

Murray's mother Judy said she is expecting a "cracking match". She told BBC Radio Scotland yesterday: "If it's anything like the US Open Final it is going to be a great match.

"I think both Novak and Andy are in the form of their lives. They are very similar players, they are great athletes and if they both play their best it could be an absolutely cracking match."