Djokovic denies Murray Down Under

If Andy Murray's credentials as a Scotsman were ever in doubt, he certainly proved them during his heartbreaking Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic last week.

Finding the hardest way to do something, getting so close you can taste it and then still ending up on the losing side is a recipe for glorious failure that Scottish supporters have unfortunately become accustomed to seeing from national teams and athletes.

On the eve of his big match, STV's Scotland Tonight discussed his chances under a segment headline of, 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride', but the three guests declared that at long last the Dunblane-born player was about to break through and claim his first grand slam title.

The only problem was that standing in his way in the tournament's final four was the world's best with a racket chasing a third consecutive grand slam title and who broke Murray's heart in last year's Australian Open Final.

On that occasion Murray had enjoyed an impressive run to the final, dropping only two sets with the tournament's top two seeds – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – already eliminated.

He was playing superbly and with his familiar conquerors out of the picture it seemed like winning his first major title was meant to be. Djokovic, however, was at the start of one of the greatest winning streaks in the history of tennis.

The Serbian had dropped only one set on his run to the final and went into the match full of confidence having swept aside Federer in straight sets in the semi-final.

Millions of Brits tuned in to watch what many expected to be Murray's crowning moment but instead it was Djokovic who controlled the match from start to finish, winning his second major title and handing Murray one of the heaviest grand slam defeats of his career.

Djokovic went on to win his first 42 matches of the year and finished the season with three grand slam crowns, while Murray struggled to recover from the loss as he threw away a number of early round matches in the following couple of months.

This year though, Murray did come incredibly close to a historic victory over the world No.1 in Melbourne. He demonstrated great resilience to push Djokovic to the limit and can be justly proud at being part of the best match of the tournament.

That was something that did not look on the cards after barely an hour of play as the 24-year-old ace found himself a set and a break down, his tournament looking like it was going to end with the same whimper as 12 months ago.

This time though, something stirred inside of Murray and the momentum swung in his favour. Djokovic had two break points to go 3-0 up in the second set but the Scot held firm to keep a foot in the match. The Scot then managed to break in the next game and looked at ease as he broke again and stormed to the second set 6-3.

Suddenly, Djokovic did not look like the infallible superstar that is feared by everyone on the Tour. He limped around the court in obvious discomfort as Murray broke in the third game of the third set and snatched control of the encounter.

However, Djokovic is the world's best for a reason. He regained his composure and got a second wind to hit back to level the third set, though Murray still prevailed in a brutal tie-break that took its toll on both players.

The two men had been playing for well over three hours at this point but the quality of play still had fans at the Rod Laver Arena perched on the edge of their seats.

Murray's concentration wandered at the start of the fourth as Djokovic raced to a 4-0 lead and the Serb regained the momentum in closing out the set by breaking for a 6-1 win.

The final set was a nervy affair as chances came and went for both men until Djokovic edged in front with a break to lead 4-2. The world No.1 served for the match at 5-3 but his first serve deserted him and Murray was able to break back to love and put the match's outcome firmly back in the balance.

At 5-5 it was Djokovic under pressure again as he fought off three break points from Murray, although he somehow managed to pull through and then break Murray's serve and his heart by converting his first match point to clinch a 6-3 3-6 6-7 6-1 7-5 win.

The two warriors embraced at the net and Djokovic was effusive in his praise of Murray in his post-match interview. He said: "Andy deserves credit for coming back, it was one of the best matches I've played".

Murray himself said he was proud of his performance against Djokovic, and his tournament as a whole was a very impressive one as he reached the semi-final without being put under any significant pressure by any opponent.

He said: "I think tonight was a huge step in the right direction. I feel like I've closed the gap on him [Djokovic], that's a positive for me.

"It was really physical, really brutal and that match will stand me in good stead for the rest of the year."

Murray kept his temperament in check throughout the tournament, something that is believed to be down to his new coach Ivan Lendl.

The Scot has been playing down 'the Lendl factor' in recent weeks, insisting he doesn't expect to see the benefit from being coached by one of the legends of the sport for at least a few months.

However, his battling spirit and more positive on-court attitude have not gone unnoticed since the 51-year-old Czech has arrived on the scene. Grand slam heartache is no stranger for Murray but even in defeat there has been enough to suggest that this could still be the Scot's year.

The next scheduled event is a homecoming to Scotland as he arrives to play at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, heading Britain's Davis Cup team in a crunch tie against Slovakia.

Even without that first elusive slam, a hero's welcome for one of Scotland's greatest ever sportsmen is guaranteed.