Djokovic masters Murray for 6th Australian title

Djokovic clinches 11th grand slam title

MELBOURNE -- Novak Djokovic crushed Andy Murray 6-1 7-5 7-6(3) on Sunday to match Roy Emerson's record of six Australian Open titles and leave the Briton heartbroken again at Melbourne Park.

The defending champion was at his ruthless best under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, mauling Murray in the baseline duels and closing out the match in two hours and 53 minutes.

Murray succumbed to his fifth loss in five Australian Open finals, and fourth against the Serbian world No. 1, who claimed his 11th grand slam title to draw level with the totals of Australian Rod Laver and Swede Bjorn Borg.

Having fended off Murray in a marathon second set, Djokovic again had to put down some stiff Murray resistance in the third as the Scot refused to go quietly.

But having been dragged into a tiebreak, Djokovic sealed the title on his third match point with a clinical ace down the T.

(READ: Kerber upsets Serena Williams to win Australian title)
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For a man who has owned the year's first grand slam for five of the past six years and won his first in 2008, Djokovic's celebrations were subdued and he gave Murray a consoling pat on the chest as they shook hands.

After walking around the court and pumping his fist at clutches of thrilled Serbian fans, Djokovic ripped off his shirt and flung it to a young woman who jumped up and down in delight.

"Andy, you are a great champion, a great person and a great friend and I'm sure you are going to have more opportunities to fight for this trophy," Djokovic said at the trophy presentation.

"It's a great privilege to match the record of one of the greatest players to play the game," he added, referring to Laver who was watching on.

Murray, whose wife Kim is heavily pregnant at home in Britain and was rocked by a medical emergency involving his father-in-law at the tournament, was magnanimous in defeat.

"I feel like I've been here before," Murray said jokingly as he took the microphone. "I'd like to congratulate Novak. Six Australian Opens is an incredible feat. And what he has done in the last year has been incredible consistency."

Started brilliantly

Djokovic started brilliantly in his semi-final win over Roger Federer and launched the same attack om Murray, breaking the Scot twice to roar into a 5-0 lead and winning 22 of the opening 29 points.

Sealing the set with an unreturnable serve, the Serb prised another four break-points in the third game of the second set but Murray dug in to hold with an ace.

Murray began to make inroads in some brutal baseline rallies and the players traded service breaks before Murray seemed set to move 6-5 ahead when he went 40-0 ahead on serve.

Djokovic struck back from nowhere though and whipped a passing shot beyond Murray to raise a break-point after a punishing 36-stroke rally.

Murray clubbed a backhand well past the baseline to concede serve but still had chances when the Serb lost his focus with a pair of double-faults in the next game.

He clattered a backhand into the net and then failed with a forehand though as Djokovic took an 80-minute set to move clear.

Any hope of a comeback seemed remote when Murray fluffed a smash barely halfway up the net in the opening game of the decider to give Djokovic two break points, the second of which Djokovic converted with a sublime backhand pass down the line.

It looked like game over but Murray roused himself to break back at 3-3 and he still had a glimmer of hope when the tiebreak began.

But the wheels fell off for the Scot who slumped to 4-1 with a double-fault and set up five championship points with a wild shot into the tramlines.

Murray saved one match-point with an ace, then a second when Djokovic hit a forehand long but the Serb stiffened his resolve to club the winning ace and extend his reign over Melbourne Park for another year.

Murray becomes only the second man to lose five finals at the same grand slam -- joining former coach Ivan Lendl who lost five at the U.S. Open.

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History man Djokovic expects Melbourne dogfight with Murray

MELBOURNE - Novak Djokovic is expecting a fierce battle with an old friend and familiar protagonist when he makes a bid for history in the Australian Open final against Andy Murray on Sunday.

Born a week apart 28 years ago, Djokovic and Murray have contested three previous finals at the Melbourne Park with the Serbian emerging triumphant on each occasion.

The world number one is a strong favourite to prevail once again on Sunday and equal Roy Emerson's record of six Australian Open titles.

"I'm expecting a battle with Andy, as it always is," he said.

"Very physically demanding match. Lots of rallies, exchanges. It's no secret we know how we play against each other.

"It's two games that are very much alike, so it's basically who's going to outplay who from the baseline."

Djokovic said he thought how both players' serve held up would be an important factor but so would be how they handled the "emotions of the greatness of that occasion of playing for the grand slam title".


That has been an area of clear advantage for the Serbian in their three previous meetings in Australian Open finals and he has also had a hex over Murray in 10 of their last 11 meetings.

World number two Murray also lost to Roger Federer in the 2010 final and is looking to become the first man to lose four finals at a grand slam before finally winning the title.

The Scot had to come through a four-hour, five-setter against Milos Raonic on Friday but the extra day's rest that Djokovic enjoyed after his semi-final against Federer has not been a winning advantage in five of the last eight finals.

Murray knows that statistics such as which finalist played their last four match first is unlikely to have too much bearing on a contest between two supremely fit athletes.

"I have a very good shot on Sunday if I play my best tennis. I need to do it for long enough to have a chance. I'm aware of that," he said.

"I don't think many people are expecting me to win on Sunday. I have to just believe in myself, have a solid game plan, and hopefully execute it and play well.

"It's one tennis match. Doesn't matter what's happened in the past really. It's about what happens on Sunday.

"There's no reason it's not possible for me to win."

Tournament organisers will be hoping Murray's wife Kim does not go into labour with the couple's first child overnight, a scenario that Murray has said would result in him jumping on a plane back to Britain.

That would give Djokovic his sixth title by default but the 10-times grand slam champion would clearly prefer to earn it.

"It's a possibility for me to make history, which is of course another great imperative for me for tomorrow's match," he said.

"These are the kind of matches that you work for. These are the kind of occasions that define you as a tennis player." (Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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Murray outclasses Raonic for 5th Melbourne final

Iron-clad defence triumphed over all-out attack as Andy Murray overhauled Milos Raonic 4-6 7-5 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 on Friday to book another Australian Open final against Melbourne Park nemesis Novak Djokovic.

World number two Murray came from behind twice to topple the rangy Canadian, who was troubled by a leg injury and finally capitulated after playing majestically for most of the four-hour and three-minute contest at a flood-lit Rod Laver Arena.

After levelling the match at two sets-all, Murray broke Raonic in the opening game of the decider and the flustered 13th seed smashed his racquet in frustration before promptly crumbling.

Murray roared on to close out the match with a dismissive crosscourt winner and reached his fifth final at Melbourne Park and fourth against the Serbian world number one.

"I started to get a slightly better read on his serve later on and that was the key," Murray, beaten by Djokovic in last year's final, said in a courtside interview.

"He definitely slowed down in the fifth set for sure which was unfortunate for him," the Scot said of Raonic's injury.

"I obviously got a bit lucky on that but you just try to focus on your side of the court."

Murray's four previous trips to the final have all ended in heartbreak, but he will have taken heart from his fighting comeback and ability to defuse Raonic's overwhelming power game.

A match pitting one of the game's finest servers against a returning maestro promised fireworks but few would have tipped Raonic to break his opponent to love in the opening game.

The 25-year-old saved three break points in the next game then held the advantage to close out the set with a huge serve down the 'T'.

Having missed break point chances at 1-0 and 3-2 in the second set, Murray had to bide his time but he kicked the door open with a brilliant crosscourt passing shot to set up a set point at 6-5.

The Canadian chanced a serve-volley but netted Murray's sharp return and the Scot pumped his fist in delight.

The tension kept rising as the third set went into a tiebreak, and Raonic pounced on a weak second serve from Murray to take a 3-1 lead.

Serving masterfully, Raonic nervelessly rocketed a smash that clipped the line to reach 5-2 before closing out the marathon 58-minute set with an ace.

UPSET THREAT

Though the Rod Laver Arena rumbled with the threat of an upset, Raonic barely celebrated and marched straight off court.

He exited again after holding serve to lead 2-1, taking a medical time-out for treatment on an adductor muscle injury to his right leg but he jogged back out onto court and appeared untroubled.

That was until the seventh game, when he was broken to love in an error-strewn game as Murray ramped up his returning game.

Raonic grimaced under more attention from the trainer after holding serve to trail 5-4. But he shrugged off the injury to raise two chances to break back.

Murray saved them both and blasted a serve down the 'T' to level the match.

Having appeared a model of composure, Raonic finally showed the strain and smashed his racquet into the blue hard-court after being swiftly broken in the opening game of the decider.

"I was going to fight and see what I could make of it, but it wasn't looking that great," said a gloomy Raonic.

"It's just I couldn't push off (my leg). I couldn't get up to serve and I couldn't change direction. That was the difficult part."

Murray's focus never wavered as he roared to a 4-0 lead.

After punching an exquisite backhand volley to bring up three match points, the Scot hammered the winning crosscourt forehand to savour one of his finest wins at Melbourne Park.

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Djokovic puts down Federer fightback to reach final

 

Djokovic through to fifth consecutive grand slam final

MELBOURNE -- Champion Novak Djokovic foiled a stirring fightback from Roger Federer to defeat the Swiss 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3 at the Australian Open on Thursday and charge into a fifth successive grand slam final.

Storming to a two-set lead within an hour, Djokovic appeared destined to complete a stinging humiliation but the net-rushing Federer responded brilliantly in the third as a partisan crowd roared him on at a flood-lit Rod Laver Arena.

In a fourth set rivened by tension, Djokovic took Federer's serve in the eighth game, benefiting from a lucky netcord that gave him a crucial break point, and served out the match to love in two hours and 19 minutes.

"Definitely I've played an unbelievable first two sets but that's what is necessary against Roger," Djokovic said courtside after setting up his sixth final at Melbourne Park against either Andy Murray or Milos Raonic.

"I knew he was going to be aggressive and try to mix up his pace and come to the net.

"I executed everything perfectly. A two-set lead is more comforting but it was a battle in the end."


Djokovic continued his grand slam mastery of the 34-year-old Swiss, having beaten him in six of their previous seven matches at the majors, including last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals.

The head-to-head record between the pair has now also swung symbolically in Djokovic's favor, with the Serb edging ahead 23-22 in their 45 matches.

The record 15th grand slam encounter between the pair was billed as a blockbuster but threatened to be a one-sided rout.

The 15,000 spectators barely had time to settle in their seats before Djokovic had sewn up the first set in 22 breathtaking minutes.

Usually a thing of beauty, Federer's backhand was a liability early on and he dropped serve for a second time with an unforced error after repeatedly coming off second best in the baseline rallies.

Djokovic was bullet-proof and crunched a huge serve down the 'T' to clinch the first set and send the 17-times grand slam champion back to his chair frowning.

The horror show quickly resumed for the Swiss, who was broken in the third game to love and again in the fifth. The set lasted scarcely 30 minutes.

As the players returned to court, the crowd clamored for a Federer comeback, and the Swiss rallied to pressure the Serb's serve in an epic sixth game.

Djokovic saved three break points but finally folded with a fourth as a net-rushing Federer forced a passing shot wide.

Serving at 5-3 for the set, Federer's wife Mirka could not watch as the Swiss battled to close it out but Djokovic fired a forehand long on the third set point to raise thunderous cheers from the terraces.

A rain-break only raised the tension as the players waited for the roof to close and then resumed to doggedly hold serve.

Trailing 4-3 on serve and under pressure, Federer made a desperate rush forward and Djokovic's shot clipped the net, the deflection causing the ball to whistle past the Swiss's racket.

Federer threw caution to the wind by attempting a second-serve serve-and-volley but Djokovic blasted a marvelous cross-court return to capture the decisive break.

Closing out the match with a string of booming serves, Djokovic was left celebrating another memorable victory as he stood one win away from a record sixth title at Melbourne Park.

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Serena demolishes Radwanska to make final in Australia

MELBOURNE - Serena Williams underlined the difference in class and power between her and the rest of the women's field with a 6-0 6-4 demolition of fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Thursday to reach her seventh Australian Open final.

Every time the American has made the final at Melbourne Park she has gone on to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

Victory in Saturday's final against either seventh seed Angelique Kerber or unseeded Briton Johanna Konta, would give her a 22nd grand slam title, moving her to a tie with Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era.


Williams romped through the first set in just 20 minutes before Radwanska showed some fight in the second but she was unable to stop the momentum of the American, who clinched her place in the final in 64 minutes.

"I'm really excited to be in another final. It blows my mind right now," Williams said in a courtside interview. "I just feel like I'm being the best I can and I can't believe I'm in another final.

"She started really well in the second set and making some great shots and hitting it deep and I just thought that I had to be aggressive."

Williams began in ominous fashion breaking the Pole's serve in the first game with Radwanska's lack of power highlighted by the blistering nature of the American's returns.

Radwanska's fastest serve in the first game reached just 140 kph. Williams was returning the ball at over 130.

The fourth seed appeared resigned to defeat in the first set by the fourth game. She barely got a backhand return to a Williams serve then stood, with slumping shoulders, and watched as the 34-year-old put the overhead smash away.

Williams cleaned up the first set in just 20 minutes before Radwanska elicited the largest cheer of the match at that time when she held serve in the first game of the second set, avoiding an embarrassing potential 'double bagel' 6-0 6-0 score.

The crowd on Rod Laver Arena, which had its roof closed due to heavy rain in Melbourne, however managed to almost open it in the sixth game with a decibel-rising roar of support for Radwanska when she broke Williams to level it at 3-3.

Williams, however, broke again in the ninth game and then served out with three aces to seal a match in which she belted 42 winners to Radwanska's four.

Radwanska, who had been bidding to reach her second grand slam final after Wimbledon in 2012, also heavily lost her only other semi-final appearance at Melbourne Park when she was beaten 6-1 6-2 by Dominika Cibulkova in 2014.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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Huey, Klepac reach Aussia Open semis

Filipino-American Treat Huey and his Slovenian partner Andreja Klepac beat Taiwan’s Yung Jan Chan and India’s Rohan Bopanna in two sets to move to the semifinals of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Huey and Klepac, who won 6-2, 7-5, will meet the US’ Coco Vandeweghe and Romania’s Horia Tecau in the semis.


Vandeweghe and Horia Tecau had a tougher time getting through the quarterfinals by hacking out a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-6 win against Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Bob Ryan.

Prior his victory, Huey and his doubles partner yielded to Canada’s Daniel Nestor and the Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Huey's semis march is the best finish so far by a Filipino tennis player in a Grand Slam tournament since 1981 when Virgilio Sison reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, according to the Philippine Star. – With a report from Reuters and The Philippine Star

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Federer through to semis with win over Berdych

MELBOURNE -- Roger Federer advanced to his 12th Australian Open semi-final on Tuesday with an efficient 7-6(4) 6-2 6-4 victory over sixth seed Tomas Berdych.

Federer was pressed hard in the opening set, taking it in a tie-break after swapping service breaks with Berdych, before the Swiss won the important points in the second set to take control of the match.

The Czech broke early in the third set before 17-times grand slam winner Federer broke back in the third game and upped the pressure on his 30-year-old opponent, breaking again in the ninth then serving out to seal it in two hours, 16 minutes.

Federer now waits the winner of the quarter-final between world number one Novak Djokovic and Japan's Kei Nishikori, who play later on Rod Laver Arena.

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TENNIS WRAP: Federer defuses Dimitrov challenge to seal 300th slam win

MELBOURNE - A patient Roger Federer weathered a second set storm from Grigor Dimitrov before slapping down the Bulgarian challenger 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open and clinch his 300th win in grand slams.

Long in the shadow of the Swiss master, Dimitrov played some irresistible tennis to prise a set but was powerless to maintain the intensity under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena.

Federer, however, simply lifted a gear, taming an occasionally wayward forehand before speeding away from the Bulgarian player nicknamed 'Baby Fed'.

Capturing an early break in the final set, four-time champion Federer sealed the match with an imperious forehand to set up a clash with another young gun in Belgian David Goffin. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Patrick Johnston)

Sharapova re-dresses for success to reach fourth round

Former champion Maria Sharapova found inspiration in a change of dress to put away unseeded American Lauren Davis 6-1 6-7(5) 6-0 at the Australian Open on Friday and set up an intriguing fourth round match with rising Swiss talent Belinda Bencic.

Up 2-0 in the second set and closing in on victory, the Russian's serve crumbled, allowing Davis to reel off five consecutive games and eventually capture a tense second set tiebreak.

Fifth seed Sharapova left the court for a lengthy comfort break between sets but re-emerged with a fresh outfit and a renewed focus, and proceeded to hammer the hapless American.

Bashing consecutive aces with her first two serves, Sharapova roared through without dropping a game, closing out the match when her 103rd-ranked opponent swiped a backhand long.

"I don't have a chat in the mirror, I think I get fined for that," Sharapova said courtside of her trip to the locker-room.

"I changed my dress and felt a little bit lighter which made me move better. But other than that, that's all I can share."

Pain-free Nishikori earns chance to avenge Tsonga loss

Japan's Kei Nishikori played down a problem with his right wrist after outlasting Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 2-6 6-3 6-4 to move into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday.

The seventh seed had some trouble with the joint in the early part of the match when his Spanish opponent mounted his sternest challenge but by the end of the two hour, 12 minute encounter, was playing at his free-flowing best.

"It was little bit sore in the beginning, but after the treatment it was fine. I'm sure it's going to be okay," he said.

"It was a really tough match. There were many long rallies. I have to give a lot of credit to him, because he was hitting really hard. I thought he was going to hit more spin, but he was hitting a lot of flat balls and it was going in. It was tough to play."

The 26-year-old served out to love for victory, a fierce forehand winner to the left, a sumptuous top-spin forehand winner to the right and an ace giving him three-match points, the first of which he converted when Garcia-Lopez netted.

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TENNIS: Djokovic denies match-fixing report, Hewitt faces Ferrer

Djokovic denies report that 2007 loss to Santoro was fixed

Reuters
Novak Djokovic has denied an Italian media report he deliberately lost a match in 2007 that has been linked to a wider scandal involving alleged corruption in tennis.

The 28-year-old world number one, who easily beat French teenager Quentin Halys on Wednesday to advance to the Australian Open third round, was asked about a report in Italian newspaper Tuttosport that he had deliberately lost to now-retired French player Fabrice Santoro at the Paris Masters.

"It's not true," the Serb said with a shrug and shake of his head. "What it is to say? I've lost that match.

"Anybody can create a story about that match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the early rounds, I think it's just absurd."

Djokovic was asked about the media reports on Monday, saying that he had indirectly been offered $200,000 to throw a match while still a teenager.

The offer was immediately rejected by the person it had been made to, he said.

Hewitt facing final farewell against brick wall Ferrer

Reuters

Spain's David Ferrer could be the man to bring the curtain down on Lleyton Hewitt's illustrious career in what could be an emotional Rod Laver Arena night session on day four of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Home favourite and former world number one Hewitt will retire after his 20th and final home grand slam and while he will fight the way only he knows how, he could meet his match in tenacious eighth seed Ferrer.

Wild card Hewitt remains the only player Australian to beat Ferrer at a grand slam tournament though and will relish a toe-to-toe scrap with the former French Open runner-up.

"He's like a brick wall out there," twice grand slam champion Hewitt said of Ferrer. "He's a tough customer for nearly anyone. But, yeah, I give myself a fighting chance."

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Sixth seed Kvitova ousted by Australia's Gavrilova in Melbourne

Reuters

Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was sent tumbling out of the Australian Open in the second round by Daria Gavrilova on Wednesday, stunned 6-4 6-4 by the 21-year-old local.

The sixth seed, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park four years ago, made 35 unforced errors and was broken five times in the 89-minute contest, to the delight of the partisan crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

Kvitova rallied to save a match point and break back for 5-4 in the final set but Gavrilova claimed the victory when the world number seven went long with a forehand in the next game.

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Kyrgios overcomes shorts mix-up to set up Berdych clash

Agence France-Presse
Rising star Nick Kyrgios overcame a mix-up with his shorts to beat Pablo Cuevas in straight sets and set up an Australian Open showdown with Tomas Berdych on Wednesday.

Despite needing to change his shorts midway, the exciting 20-year-old Australian beat the 41st-ranked Cuevas 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in almost two hours before a partisan home crowd on Hisense Arena.

Krygios, whose first pair of shorts apparently didn't have pockets deep enough to hold balls while he was serving, smashed 50 winners as he broke the Uruguayan's serve four times.

"Just a bit of a mix-up before the game. I guess it will be fixed by the next round," shrugged the 29th seed, whose next opponent, Berdych, has reached the last two semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
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Uncle Toni open to Nadal coaching change

Agence France-Presse

Rafael Nadal's coach and uncle Toni Nadal hasn't ruled out the possibility that the 14-time Grand Slam champion may seek a new or expanded coaching team in a bid to arrest his slide in form.

Nadal lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

"I understand that in sport results come first and if you have to make a change, you have to do it," Toni Nadal told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope on Wednesday.

"To lose so early in Australia is one of the biggest disappointments we have had because in the last four months we had been playing well.

"I hope it is only a blip and we move forward."

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Nadal knocked out in first round of Australian Open

MELBOURNE -- Fernando Verdasco sent shock waves through the Australian Open on Tuesday by defeating Rafa Nadal 7-6(6) 4-6 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to send the former world number one crashing out in the tournament's opening round.

The first-round exit was 2009 champion Nadal's first at Melbourne Park and only his second at a grand slam.

Down 2-0 in the final set, Verdasco dragged himself off the canvas with a barrage of booming forehand winners, breaking Nadal twice to storm to a 5-2 lead.

He broke his compatriot a third time, sealing the match with a cross-court winner that left the Rod Laver Arena crowd stunned late in the day session.

"I just hit everything. I think I played unbelievable in the fifth set from the break," Verdasco said in a courtside interview.

"I just started hitting winners. I don't know how. I was closing the eyes and everything when I was coming in.

"I kept doing it so it went well."

After shaking hands with his opponent and the chair umpire Nadal strode quickly off the court, barely pausing to acknowledge the crowd with a wave.

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TENNIS WRAP: Fit Nadal brings ‘happy feelings’ to Melbourne Park

MELBOURNE - With a heart-breaking injury record at the Australian Open, few would blame Rafa Nadal for a feeling of trepidation every time he enters Melbourne Park but the fit and healthy Spaniard will begin this year's campaign full of "happy feelings".

After winning his sole Australian Open title in 2009, Nadal was forced out of its defence with knee trouble against Andy Murray, knocked out of a semi-final against countryman David Ferrer by a hamstring problem the following year and hobbled by a back injury during his losing final to Stan Wawrinka in 2014.

Nadal was forced to miss 2013 due to a stomach virus and when on the comeback trail from a wrist problem and appendicitis last year, he crashed out of the tournament with a straight sets quarter-final loss to Tomas Berdych, one of his worst grand slam defeats.

Whether battling injury or illness, Nadal has rarely arrived at Melbourne Park without something nagging at his confidence so his early season fitness has come as a breath of fresh air.

"I have had good practices here," he told reporters breezily at Melbourne Park on Saturday.

"Very happy to be here again. Good feelings. Just trying to be ready."

Baby comes first for Australian Open contender Murray

World number two Andy Murray has repeated, emphatically, that he will abandon the pursuit of his first Australian Open title if his wife goes into labour early.

The men's final of the year's opening grand slam is scheduled for Jan. 31 and with his wife Kim expecting their first child in mid-February it should give him time to return home to Britain for the birth.

The Scot, who said late last year that he would abandon the tournament if his wife went into labour during it, was asked on Saturday whether he had changed his mind.

"The same thing would happen," the 28-year-old Briton told reporters. "For me, my child is more important to me, and my wife is more important to me than a tennis match."


Murray insisted he was still focused on achieving one of his primary goals for 2016 and winning his first Melbourne Park title after losing four previous finals, though the impending arrival of his first child was proving a welcome distraction.

"I think most days I think about that. Just now it's a big change coming. It's very, very exciting," he said.

Federer gives Djokovic 'little star' of approval

Novak Djokovic deserves a "little star" next to his name for a spectacular 2015 season that saw him win three grand slams among his 11 titles but the men's game is not simply a matter of the Serb versus the rest, Roger Federer said on Saturday.

The world number one's dominance has seen pundits line up to declare the end of the 'Big Four' -- suggesting Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray are unable to compete on equal terms at grand slams with Djokovic.

The Serb heads into the Australian Open a raging favourite to capture his sixth title at Melbourne Park but Federer gave short shrift to talk of a Djokovic dictatorship, pointing to Stan Wawrinka's victory over him in the French Open final.

"It completely depends what you're looking at. If you're looking at (Djokovic's) season, he was the most dominant player by far last year," Federer told reporters at Melbourne Park.

"Then if you look at just who won the slams and the Masters 1000s, doesn't hold truth, because Stan won the French.

"Who's had the most success? The top five guys really, with Stan, you know, Murray, myself, Novak and Rafa.

"Now the rankings are back to more normal again after Rafa's worked his way back up.

"Yeah, I still think the same guys are playing very well. But, of course, Novak deserves like a little star next to his name right now because he's been doing extremely well.

"Same for Stan, really."

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