Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray: Previewing Australian Open Men's Final

As a changing of the guard gradually brews under the surface, two top men's stars will once again face off in the Australian Open final.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray outlasted the field to set up yet another chapter in their storied feud. This marks the fourth time in five years the two will clash at Melbourne, with Djokovic boasting a clean sweep to date. While two of those showdowns came in the final, Murray secured his two Grand Slam titles by besting Djokovic at the end.

Since Murray defeated the world's No. 1-ranked star at 2013 Wimbledon, Djokovic has returned the favor with four straight triumphs, including a quarterfinal victory at least year's U.S. Open. Per ATPWorldTour.com, he now leads the head-to-head series at 15-8.

Anyone intent on watching this matchup live will have to sacrifice some sleep, as they'll begin play at 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. For those drowsy viewers, here's a guide for the big match:

Matchup	Date	Time	TV
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 6 Andy Murray	Sunday, Feb. 1	3:30 a.m. EST/8:30 a.m. GMT/ 7:30 p.m local	BBC1, ESPN

Men's Final Preview

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

With seven Grand Slam titles to his credit, Djokovic seemingly enters the bout with the upper hand. Before last year's disappointing quarterfinal loss to Stan Wawrinka, he rattled off three straight championships at Melbourne.

Although it wasn't easy, he obtained vengeance over last year's Australian Open victor with a grueling five-set win. ESPN Stats & Info notes the select group of male competitors who have constantly performed as well at the tournament as the Serbian star, who has yet to lose a finals match:

After sweeping his first five opponents without dropping a set, he stumbled against a man who has taken him to three consecutive marathon matches at Melbourne. While benefiting from Wawrinka's 69 unforced errors, per AusOpen.org, Djokovic himself committed 49.

He acknowledged, according to BBC Sport's Piers Newbery, that he did not put forward his best performance in victory:

"

I did not play on the level that I intended before the match. 

There were parts of the match where I stepped in and played a game I needed to play, but parts where I played too defensive and allowed him to dictate the play from the baseline. 

I'm in the finals, that's why I'm here, to try to get far in the tournament. Getting to the finals in any way possible is a great achievement.

"

A much more polished player, Murray is less prone to making such critical mistakes. While Wawrinka's aggressiveness has proved to be a thorn in Djokovic's side, it also saved him from slipping during a shaky semifinal display.

In order to capture his fifth Australian Open crown, he'll need a cleaner showing against a man looking to prove he's still an active and vital Big Four member despite his No. 6 ranking on the bracket.

Tomas Berdych claimed the opening set of their semifinal match, but Murray then seized command. Also yielding one set to No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov, the Scottish star has surrendered only those two sets this tournament, and both were decided in tiebreakers. 

The 27-year-old, who is still searching for his first Australian Open title, has won at least 70 percent of his first-serve points in every match this tournament, according to AusOpen.org. Nick Bollettieri, a coach who has trained Andre Agassi, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova, identified crisp serving as one of Murray's keys to victory in the Guardian:

"

Andy Murray will have to really go for his serves in this match, put a lot of zip on his second serve, because Novak Djokovic is a great returner. I think what he has to do is vary it but work on that wide-slice serve on the deuce court. However, it would be even more effective to serve into Djokovic’s body, jamming him. On the second serve, he’s got to know that Djokovic is going to go for it, so Murray’s got to put some pop on that ball and maybe even gamble on a wide slice on the second serve. 

"

Djokovic can't afford to lapse into the same sloppiness that compounded his semifinal win. Yet Murray can't play it too safe either and hope for another erratic effort.

Last round's results don't carry over, otherwise Murray would dethrone Djokovic as the favorite. If their respective form carries over on Sunday morning, that's how their latest final installment will play out. Expecting a subpar effort from either stud, however, is not the wisest assumption.