Novak Djokovic is hoping that the experience of his 2008 Australian Open triumph will give him the edge against Andy Murray in the 2011 final.
It's a well known fact that winning your first major title is the toughest step to take and Djokovic will be hoping that his past success will give him the edge.
"Maybe in some ways I'm going to have a little mental advantage over my opponent because I have won the title," Djokovic mused. "But still he is going to be very much motivated to win his first title and he's not going to have Roger of Rafa across the net, which I'm sure is going to be a big relief for him."
Djokovic will be conscious that Murray has won their past three matches with two of those wins coming in big finals. Murray triumphed in straight sets in Cincinnati and Miami to claim Masters Series shields, effectively attacking the Djokovic serve on both occasions.
However Djokovic's tennis over the past fortnight has been the best he's produced for some time. The third seed has been at his aggressive best, seeing off the likes of Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych without even dropping a set.
Winning the Davis Cup for Serbia last month has visibly given Djokovic a huge confidence boost.
“From that moment on, even though I had a very short off season, I felt very eager to come back to the court and play more matches because I felt that I could play my best tennis,” he explained. “It's proven to be correct, just very satisfied to begin my season in a Grand Slam final."
