Murray hails Djokovic's defence

Andy Murray believes his Australian Open dream foundered on the defensive skills of Novak Djokovic.

Murray cut a frustrated figure as he lost his third grand slam singles final, going down to the Serbian 6-4 6-2 6-3 in Melbourne on Sunday.

Djokovic appeared the more energetic player, frequently scrambling around the baseline waiting for a Murray mistake which was never too long in coming.

And the Scot was full of praise for his opponent's ability to remain in rallies when the situation appeared lost.

"He always moves great, but there was probably five or six times when I got into a good position and he stuck up a lob which landed right on the baseline," he said.

"And that makes it difficult to smash because you don't know whether it's going in or not."

Murray added: "When he was on the run he hit the ball very, very well."