Andy Murray upbeat despite Australian Open final defeat

Andy Murray takes comfort in his good form over the last six months after losing to world number one Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Djokovic claimed his fourth Australian and sixth Grand Slam title with a 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-2 victory in Melbourne on Sunday. It was Murray's fifth defeat in six Grand Slam finals. "There's going to be some obvious reasons for me feeling a little bit better," said Murray. "The last few months have been the best tennis of my life - I made the Wimbledon final, won the Olympics, won the US Open, I was close here as well. It was close. I know no one's ever won a Slam, the immediate one after winning their first one. It's not the easiest thing to do and I got extremely close. So I have to try and look at the positives of the last few months, and I think I'm going the right direction. This is the first time I've beaten Roger Federer in a Slam over five sets. I think I dealt with the situations and the ebbs and flows in that match well. I felt much more comfortable on the court today than even I did at the US Open, so that has to be a positive." Murray required treatment to a large blister on his left foot after losing the second set against Djokovic, but insisted the injury "had no bearing at all on the result". "It's just a bit sore when you're running around. It's not like pulling a calf muscle or something, it just hurts when you run, but it's not something that stops you from playing." There was also a sore hamstring to contend with following his five-set win over Federer in the semi-finals, but he said: "With how physical the game is just now, that's just part of it. At this level it can come down to just a few points here or there. Probably my biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set; didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his." Djokovic took control with the first service break of the match midway through the third set and the Serbian never looked back. "I tried to be more aggressive," he said. "So I went for my shots, especially in the third and fourth; came to the net quite often. I was quite successful in that percentage, so it worked well for me. I needed to be the one who dictates the play, and I'm really glad that I've played my best." The victory means Djokovic is the first man since Australian Roy Emerson in 1967 to win three Australian titles in succession. The next Grand Slam tournament is the Roland Garros French Open, and you can already bet on the winner at Bet365. Here are the odds for the top three favourites according to the bookmakers. Rafael Nadal - 5/6 Novak Djokovic - 13/8 Andy Murray - 8/1