Australian Open 2015: Highlights and Key Moments from Men's Final

Novak Djokovic won his fifth career Australian Open title on Sunday, beating Andy Murray in four sets in Melbourne with set scores of 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3 and 6-0. The Serb became just the second man to win the Aussie Grand Slam five times, according to journalist Erik Gudris:

Sunday's final was a test of endurance, a brilliant battle between two in-form competitors who provided fans with one highlight after the other. Murray looked like the favourite to win after two sets before the world No. 1 shifted gear, and the Scot collected his runners-up trophy with his head held high:

After a furious exchange to begin proceedings, Murray came close to landing the first significant blow, taking a 0-40 lead in the third game. The Joker answered with eight straight points, showing his class as he managed the first break of the contest, via Eurosport.com:

Fantastic shots like this one are one way to deal with break points:

Djokovic had the upper hand in the rallies, looking strong playing from the baseline and frequently stepping into the court. But Murray soon started to draw his opponent even further up the court and took advantage of his struggles on high shots, setting up several points with a series of lobs and passing shots.

It led to a series of fantastic rallies, including this exchange of overhead shots:

Murray broke back, and two more breaks set up a first tiebreak, where Murray overplayed a routine groundstroke to gift Djokovic his first set point, which he immediately converted.

The mistakes continued for Murray early in the second set, but the Scot started to push his opponent up and down the court, looking much sharper in long rallies. The Joker was starting to tire, and Murray took full advantage:

After a dominant showing in the second tiebreak, the match appeared to be Murray's for the taking. The first two sets took an incredible two-and-a-half hours, and Djokovic was visibly struggling with fatigue.

But just as the world No. 1 looked like he might crack, a love service game completely shifted momentum. Suddenly, the engine started to sputter for Murray, and Djokovic completely took over.

Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

The Serb won five of the next six games, courtesy of a series of impeccable ground strokes, and while Djokovic had been complaining of an injury early in the third set, it never appeared to have any impact on his performance.

Murray all but surrendered in the final set, allowing Djokovic to finish a fantastic tournament with a bagel. The championship point:

Djokovic was very emotional as he collected the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, his first since becoming a father:

Fans in Melbourne were treated to a fantastic final, and while the final two sets were hardly competitive, it was more a testament to Djokovic's greatness than a letdown of Murray. The Scot was spectacular on Sunday—Djokovic was just simply better.

The Serb entered 2015 with one glaring hole in his resume: the French Open, the only Grand Slam he's yet to win. He lost last year's final to Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, but with Nadal slow to return from a series of injuries, the road to this year's title could be wide open.

Djokovic's polished all-round game leads itself well to the hard court, and while fatigue in long rallies remains a key weakness, his play from the baseline in Melbourne was more than good enough for the Serb to dominate just as much when the clay season begins.

With Nadal and Roger Federer suffering bad starts to the season, this could be the year Djokovic finally completes the career Grand Slam. And if Sunday's performance is any indication, the Joker is more than ready for the challenge.

Follow @ReverschPass