Andy Murray has reached the final of the Australian Open four times in his career, but has still never lifted the title. Defeat to Roger Federer in 2010 has been followed by three defeats in the championship match to Novak Djokovic in 2011, 2013 and last year. Will 2016 finally be the year that Murray can win this illusive title or will he remain forever the bridesmaid and never the bride down under?
A successful 2015 saw Murray climb to number two in the ATP rankings behind Djokovic, after winning four calendar titles and he also starred for Great Britain in their first Davis Cup triumph for 79 years. Murray was also a beaten finalist in another three tournaments, losing all of them to Djokovic, whilst reaching at least the Semi Final in three of the four Grand Slam events.
For all of the good form Murray showed last year, he still seems to fall short against the best players in the game. A 0-2 record against Federer and a 1-6 against Djokovic shows that he may have a psychological disadvantage against those two, which effects his chances of winning the major tournaments. This year he will hope to overcome those disadvantages though and let his off court happiness put him in a better frame of mind ahead of the big games.
Marriage and impending fatherhood have obviously given Murray a boost in life that has shown on court and he will be hoping to continue his rise in 2016. His main aim is to dislodge Djokovic at the top of the rankings, starting with what he hopes will be his first Australian Open title at the end of January.
Most people will tip Djokovic for the first Grand Slam of the year but Murray isn’t world number 2 by a fluke, he does have all the tools required to win more major titles as long as he is in the right frame of mind.