There may be no Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal to block Andy Murray’s path to a grand slam win this time, but that does not mean the task is going to easy. Novak Djokovic has been the most impressive player in this year’s tournament, and his draw has been much tougher than his rival’s. Northern Echo Sport looks at how they match up ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Open final.

SERVE

MURRAY

THE serve of Murray’s has been one of the positive signs of his game during the tournament. In his semifinal against David Ferrer the percentage of first serves in was 60 and nine of those serves were aces. This was an important part in his game but he made more double faults then Ferrer which could be a cause for concern. 9/10

DJOKOVIC

THE Serbian’s serve is regarded as one of his major weapons, winning his many points during games. His first serve is typically flat, but he prefers to slice his second serves wide. 9

BACKHAND

MURRAY

THE Scotsman has one of the best backhands in the game. If there is one part of his game that he will be looking to rely on more than most it is his favoured doublehanded backhand and will be looking to make it count against Djokovic. 9

DJOKOVIC

THE SERB has a strong backhand and his best shot is considered to be backhand down the line. He returns opponents serves better when he uses his backhand wing. His favourite shots are a well-disguised backhand and a sliced backhand. 8

FOREHAND

MURRAY

MURRAY is a right hander which is the most common type across the tour. This also means its slightly more predictable then a left hander but Murray can play a variety of shots and has impressed with drop shots and strong shots down the line. When Murray controls himself his forehand can be his best choice of attack. 9

DJOKOVIC

THE forehand is one of Djokovic’s main weapons and he utilises this by playing a strong, fast forehand back across the net. At the top of his game, the Serbian’s forehand can be turbo-powered and extremely hard to return. 9

VOLLEY

MURRAY

THE Murray return serve can be generally flat but he holds the racket well and uses a variety of different serve returns and is confident with attacking the serve by returning down the line. In the game against Ferrer he won 44 per cent of return points which was better overall then his opponent. 8

DJOKOVIC

THE Serbian has mastered one of the sport’s least understood shots in the forehand drop volley and if he pulls them off, Murray could struggle. Not many have mastered these shots and it adds that little bit extra to the Serbian’s game.8

NET PLAY

MURRAY

IF he is to overcome Djokovic, he has to pick his moments to attack the net at the right time. He prefers to play on the baseline, like his opponent in the final, but it could be at the net where this particular showpiece is won. 7

DJOKOVIC

NET play is considered one of Djokovic’s biggest weaknesses and he can often come up short when approaching the net. If Murray can draw him in, the Scot could reap the benefits. 7

TEMPERAMENT

MURRAY

HAS shown a tendency to be passive and less aggressive when it matters most. After impressive showing in previous major tournaments, he has dropped short at Wimbledon, the US Open and even in Melbourne when his moment of glory arrived.

If he can stay focused and stay aggressive then Murray could win his first major. 7

DJOKOVIC

DJOKOVIC is said to be quite fragile mentally and his temperament has been suspect in recent years.

When he was rising through the ranks, he played with freedom on big points, but recently that has been replaced by a tentative approach, volatile demeanour and a lack of stamina. 7

OVERALL

MURRAY 49

DJOKOVIC 48

* Compiled by Tom Page, Paul Fraser and Steph Clark.