Andy Murray admits only his best will do if he wants to add to his Grand Slam collection by beating Novak Djokovic and claiming a first ever Australian Open crown on Sunday.
Sunday’s showpiece will see Murray aim to win his first Australian Open title at his fourth attempt, the Scot having lost previous finals to Roger Federer in 2010 and to Djokovic in 2011 and 2013.
The 27-year-old gained revenge on the last of those losses six months later when he defeated the Serbian to become the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title.
When Murray steps out on court tomorrow it will be his first Grand Slam final appearance since 2013, his opponent even admitting his return to form had merited such success.
Top seed Djokovic though is searching for his fifth Australian Open title and leads the career head-to-head record 15-8 against his long-time friend and rival, winning seven of their last eight meetings.
And Murray, Olympic singles champion at London 2012, knows he will have to be firing on all cylinders if he wants to turn the tables on his oppponent.
"He has a fantastic record here," said Murray. "He loves the court and the conditions. It would be a big upset if I manage to win.
"I've never won against him here before [in Melbourne]. I've lost to him each time that we've played. I think I've lost to him the last four or five times we played against each other, as well.
"I've maybe only won one set in those matches. It would be a big turnaround.
"I'm not saying it's not a possibility, but it's going to be very, very tough."
Victory over Djokovic would take Murray onto three Grand Slam titles following his US Open win in 2012 and his Wimbledon success a year later.
Although Murray insists he will still return home with his head held high regardless of the outcome on Sunday.
"I know winning any of the Slams is a very challenging and tough thing to do," he added.
"Winning three of four Slams in this era seems like nothing because of everything that the other guys have done, but it's a very difficult thing to do.
"So whether I win on Sunday or not, I still feel like my record here has been a good one.”
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