Summary It was Djokovic's fourth Australian crown and his sixth Grand Slam title.
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic wore down Andy Murray in a gruelling four-set final to clinch a hat-trick of Australian Open titles on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.
The Serbian world number one lost the opening set in a tiebreaker but got progressively stronger to dominate the suffering Murray and win 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-2 in 3hr 40min.
It was Djokovic s fourth Australian crown and his sixth Grand Slam title overall to confirm himself as the game s premier player.
Djokovic, 25, became the first man in the Open Era and the third man ever to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, joining Australians Jack Crawford (1931-33) and five-time winner Roy Emerson (1963-67).
Murray, the British world number three, began well but he battled a left hamstring injury and blistered feet as Djokovic stepped up, winning the important points and most of the lung-busting long rallies.
It was Djokovic s second win over Murray in a Grand Slam final after the 2011 Australian final, and ended the Scot s unbeaten 13-match run in the majors since his victory over the Serb in last September s US Open decider.
Djokovic confirmed his standing as the number one ranked player while Murray will remain in the third position behind Roger Federer.
It continued Djokovic s dominance on the Melbourne hardcourt surface and capped an impressive fortnight where he recovered from a draining five-setter over five hours with Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round to score emphatic wins over Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer to reach the final.
