Andy Murray was so often the nearly man in tennis, but he finally ended his Grand Slam drought at the 2012 US Open.
Murray had lost four Grand Slam finals before the success, before earning a superb final victory over Novak Djokovic in New York.
Momentum was now firmly on the side of the US Open champion, who was eager for more glory at the 2013 Australian Open.
And his rival Djokovic was well aware of the threat he posed in Melbourne, having been asked ahead of the event if he’d noticed a change in Murray’s demeanor following that US Open title, and indeed his Olympic gold medal that arrived just before.
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Novak Djokovic noticed Andy Murray’s mental shift before maiden Grand Slam title
The Serbian said of the Scot: “No, I mean, look, he has become a Grand Slam and Olympic champion. It’s something that not many players in the history have done.
“He’s great. I mean, I think mentally something switched in his head and he just started believing much more in his abilities, even though he was always a great player, always was a contender to win a major title.
“Now that he’s done it, he’s definitely right up there, one of the first few favorites for any tournament he plays. He’s an all‑around player, improved his game, stayed committed.”
If Novak Djokovic felt more relaxed or under pressure as a Grand Slam defending champion
Despite Murray’s momentum at the time of the 2013 Australian Open, many eyes were indeed on Djokovic.
He entered the Grand Slam as the defending champion, and was asked beforehand if he felt more relaxed or more pressure with that status.
The Serbian said: “I feel this is a point where everybody starts from the same line, so I don’t really put myself in a position to have more pressure than the others have, to be honest.
“I’ve been faced with this particular kind of pressure, defending the title in major events, a few times. So I know how it feels like, what I need to do. As I said, I’m trying to keep it very simple, take it day to day, see how far I can go.”
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It’s fair to say that Djokovic more than handled the pressure in Melbourne that year, as he went on to lift the trophy.
He clinched the Australian Open title for the third successive year and the fourth time in his career, fittingly defeating recent nemesis Murray in the final.
Now, Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open champion, boasting more titles than any other man at the hard-court Grand Slam.
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