Nick McCarvel

Special for USA TODAY Sports

MELBOURNE, Australia – Twenty-four hours after heavy favorite Serena Williams went down in the women’s final, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic made certain he would not be felled by the same fate in the Australian Open men’s decider.

Djokovic, 28, continued his dominance in men’s tennis with a hard-fought yet decisive triumph over world No. 2 Andy Murray in what was a rematch of the men’s final from a year ago, the Serbian capturing a record-tying sixth title here Sunday with a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3) performance.

It was another chapter in what has become the Book of Novak in men’s tennis, written on court over the last 15 months with his racket, shoes and killer confidence.

With the title, Djokovic claims an 11th Grand Slam trophy and third in a row, expanding his recent ruling over what many call “the Golden Era” of the men’s game with Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka as the leading cast of characters in the Grand Slam conversation.

There was no discussing who was better on this night, however, as Djokovic ran through Murray from the start, earning a fifth title here in six years (in addition to his 2008 victory). He has beaten Murray in four of those.

"I feel like I’ve been here before," Murray joked on court, grabbing a laugh from the crowd, after the nearly three-hour final.

"I want to say congratulations to Novak and his team, he’s been incredibly consistent," Murray added. "Sorry I couldn’t get it done tonight. It’s been a tough few weeks for me. It's very, very tough for me... but this is an amazing atmosphere."

Murray, tearing up at the end, added: "And finally to my wife Kim. You've been a legend the last two weeks. I'll be on the next flight home."

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Djokovic called Murray "a great champion, great competitor and a great friend. I wish you and Kim a very happy and healthy delivery of your baby. I hope you will experience a feeling like no other, because that’s what happened for me."

Murray came close once again at Melbourne Park, but fell at the seventh and final hurdle. His game, tailor-made for the Rod Laver Arena hard court, has proved to be a lesser version of Djokovic’s Gumby-like defense-to-offense approach. Murray now trails their head-to-head 22-9 overall.

Djokovic, much like he did in the semifinals against Federer, blasted out of the starting blocks, winning the first set in 30 minutes 6-1 behind 10 winners and 81 percent of first serve points won.

The second set was an engaging and drawn-out affair, as Murray found his feet and the two players regularly exchanged in baseline bashes. Djokovic would break in the all-important seventh game, only to be broken right back, Murray securing his first break of the night with a sizzling backhand crosscourt winner that Djokovic challenged but was shown by Hawk-Eye to be in.

They’d both hold in subsequent games, but Djokovic broke again in the 11th game and then served out the 80-minute set for a 2-0 lead, saving a break point and then watching a Murray forehand crash into the net. Murray was the aggressor in this set (21 winners to eight), but also had more unforced errors, hitting 34 to Djokovic’s 19.

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Djokovic would break a dejected Murray once again in the opening game of the third set, taking a commanding lead with an on-the-line backhand pass against a net-charging Murray.

It looked like Djokovic – as he did in 2015 in the fourth set vs. Murray – would run away with this match, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the third set. But Murray broke for 3-all and then looked the fresher of the two, popping his shots deeper and stronger as Djokovic appeared to go flat.

They’d play to a third-set tiebreak, the momentum appearing to be on Murray’s side. Any edge he had was lost on the first point, however, dumping the first of two double faults in the breaker. Djokovic would sprint to a 6-1 lead, then triumphed on an ace up the T, his seventh of the night.

Raising his arm in celebration, Djokovic came onto court and pounded the pavement with his hands, then knelt down and kissed it, as Murray suffered a record-setting fifth loss in an Australian Open final.

“He won 25 more points than me, 26 more points. I had 25 or 26 more unforced errors,” Murray told reporters after hitting 65 unforced errors in the match to Djokovic's 41. “[In] the end of the second set, I lost from 40-Love up, that was a tough one. Maybe I could have nicked that set. I was starting to have quite a lot of opportunities in the second.”

Djokovic had his tournament jump-started in a way by a five-set challenge in the fourth round against Frenchman Gilles Simon. It was in that match where he committed a jaw-dropping 100 unforced errors. But he was in superior form in a straight-set quarterfinal win over Kei Nishikori, then his sensational best in a four-set win over Federer in the semifinals.

Djokovic further benefited from an extra day of rest as Murray played a five-set semi against Milos Raonic on Friday night.

Murray, on the other hand, had his mind elsewhere for much of the two weeks. His wife, Kim, is due to have their first child any day now, and the British No. 1 said he would have left the tournament early would she have gone into labor. Kim’s father, Nigel Sears, coach to Ana Ivanovic, collapsed during Ivanovic’s third round match, which happened to be while Murray was on court, as well. Murray said he would have flown home should his father-in-law had a major health problem.

Grand Slam tennis is about balancing both on- and off-court challenges, something Djokovic has excelled at. He has now won three majors in a row (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year, and this Australian Open). He was the last player to have gone 3-for-3, during the same span in 2011 and 2012. He adds $3.4 million AUD to his $94 million career haul.

It is Djokovic’s 61st career title and fifth consecutive tournament win, dating to the U.S. Open last summer. He’s won 21 straight Grand Slam matches, and 38 of 39 matches overall.

After his victory, hundreds of fans holding Serbian flags greeted him in the tournament’s Garden Square as Djokovic made his way to interviews. Chanting, singing and cheering ensued as he did interview after interview.

“It was amazing. I honestly did not expect that,” Djokovic said of the fans. “I did not know what was waiting. Many of these fans didn't have a ticket and chance to watch the match on the stadium, so they stayed on the main square. They waited for me. I'm very grateful for their support. It's quite incredible.

“I’ve had that fortune to win this trophy now for six times, but I never experienced such a support after the match.”

Clear as his scoreline against the world No. 2 Sunday night, this guy is by far the best tennis player in the world.

Since bringing on former great Boris Becker to his team in December of 2013, Djokovic has won an impeccable five of nine majors, including four out of the last five. Djokovic also has longtime coach Marian Vajda.

Djokovic has brought on Becker to widen the gap between himself and his foes. His serves – both the first and second deliveries – have become stronger and more accurate; his defense-to-offense game has become even more lethal, particularly when he's stretched wide; and he now seems to live and breathe for big-stage battles.

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