IT IS not the first time Andy Murray has felt that he couldn’t wait to get out of Melbourne, the pain of another Australian Open nagging at his subconscious.

But unlike at least three of the other four occasions on which he has left as the runner-up at Melbourne Park, the Scot did so knowing he was beaten by a man who may just end up being the best of the lot.

“I saw some of the stats just at the end of the match,” Murray said. “He won 25 more points than me, 26 more points. I had 25 or 26 more unforced errors.

“I think I didn't hit my forehand particularly well at the beginning of the match. I started to hit it better in the third set. But, yeah, that was it.”

With the birth of his first child imminent, Murray should have no trouble putting the defeat into perspective, ready to return to the Tour with a renewed vigour next month.

His 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 defeat by the Serb brought to an end a tumultuous fortnight off the court, but a rewarding one on it, at least until the final.

But in truth, there was always the sense that no matter how hard Murray scrapped in the second and third sets, it was never going to be enough.

Ultimately it was to no avail as Djokovic proved yet again that he is the best player in the world, his sixth Australian Open title equalling the record held by Roy Emerson in the 1960s and moving him alongside Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal on 11 grand slams.

Ten of those have come in the past 21 grand slam events and in his 17 straight finals, in all events, including on the ATP World Tour, his match record is 92 wins and six losses.

It is a domination that could yet see Djokovic rival Roger Federer’s record of 17 grand slams and it is Murray’s misfortune that the Serb has been across the net in four of his Melbourne finals.

Having had 24 hours less than Djokovic to prepare and come through a five-setter with Canada’s Milos Raonic in the semi-finals, there was always a chance Murray could be a bit jaded.

In the first set, it certainly looked that way as Djokovic took advantage of a flat-looking Murray to race through it in just half an hour.

But even if he must have had thoughts of home, Murray battled back well in the second set, recovering an early break with some fierce hitting from the baseline.

Djokovic was being pushed back but the world No.1’s incredible court coverage saw him make Murray play enough to force the errors as he went for too much.

Still, Murray led 40-0 on serve at 5-5 in the second set only to be broken and Djokovic closed out the set.

The third was a similar story as Djokovic broke early only for Murray to rally again but when it came to a tie-break, Murray double-faulted twice in the first five points and was never able to fight back.

The defeat took Djokovic’s lead over Murray in their head-to-head meetings to 22-9 and he has now won their past four in grand slams.

“I don't know how far off [his level] I was tonight,” Murray said. “The first set, I wasn't there, but the second and third sets I do think were very close.

“I do think I could have played a bit better. I didn't think I hit my forehand as well as I could have done. When I did in the third set, that helped me out a lot. I was able to get myself into the net more. I was able to play more offensive tennis then.

“Most of the matches we played in slams I think have been competitive. Whether that looks the same from the outside or not, I don't know. For a three-set match, 2 hours and 50 minutes, it was a tough few sets.”

A jubilant Djokovic admitted he is playing at his peak.

“There is no doubt I am playing the best tennis of my life the past 15 months,” he said.

“Everything is going well privately, as well. I became a father and husband, have a family, so I feel like I'm at the point in my life where everything is working in harmony.”

Djokovic told Channel 7, the host broadcaster, that he did not want to put a number on how many grand slams he might win, but did say: “It’s fair for me to think confidently that I can win every match that I play.”

However, he is also keen not to be seen as too cocky, for fear it might come back to bite him.

“I don't want to allow myself to be in that frame of mind,” he said. “Because if I do, the person becomes too arrogant and thinks that he's a higher being or better than everybody else. You can get a big slap from karma very soon. I don't want that.”

Murray admitted that the off-court distractions – waiting for a call in case his wife should go into labour – and illness to Kim’s father, Nigel Sears, who collapsed at the end of the first week of the tournament, were tough to deal with.

In his acceptance speech, Murray joked that “I feel like I've been here before” and said: "Congratulations Novak, six Australian Opens, an incredible feat, and incredible consistency the last year.

“Finally, to my wife Kim, who's going to be watching back home. You've been a legend the past two weeks. Thanks for your support and I'll be on the next flight home.”

Murray’s next assignment is expected to be in the Davis Cup in early March, when Britain begin the defence of their title with a first-round match against Japan in Bolton.