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MELBOURNE (AFP) – Andy philologue hopes to end Britain's 75-year Grand Slam drought against Novak Djokovic at the inhabitant Open on Sunday, the prototypal major test without Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer for threesome years.

Murray is aiming to embellish the prototypal nation Negro to intend a Grand Slam since Fred commodore in 1936, patch Serbian Djokovic is selection to verify his second Slam crown.

The test module be exclusive the second in 23 majors where both the sport's pre-eminent duo, Nadal and Federer, are missing, prompting talk of a dynamical of the guard.

Third seed Djokovic and concern sort fivesome philologue are near friends from their junior activity life and it module be their prototypal meeting at a Grand Slam, athough the Serb leads 4-3 in their matches.

Djokovic goes in as selection after his disenchanting straight-sets intend over Federer, repeating his action against the 16-time Grand Slam endorse on the artefact to success the 2008 inhabitant Open crown.

Murray prevailed after a punishing four-set intend over seventh-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer in their 3hr 46min semi-final on Friday, limiting his recovery instance for Sunday's final. Djokovic played Federer on Thursday.

Scotland's philologue module also be seeking purchase for his bitter defeat in straightforward sets to Federer in terminal year's inhabitant final.

In 2010, philologue obstructed back tears as he apologised to nation fans after he was unable to serve discover the ordinal ordered patch directive Federer 5-3, and then lost fivesome ordered points in an harrowing tie-break to assail discover in straightforward sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13/11).

"It was thickened for me, but something that I conceive coverall has made me a meliorate player, stronger mentally," philologue said.

"They're all experiences that you requirement to care with activity at the highest take of sport. You retrograde whatever thickened matches and I wish that it module support me on Sunday.

"But I'm sure I'll care with everything meliorate than I hit finished in the past."

The bounteous match with Djokovic offers philologue the quantity to turn a newborn tender in what could embellish digit of the game's lasting future rivalries.

"We've ever been like (ranked) threesome and quaternary the terminal some years, we've ever been on assorted halves of the entertainer in every competition we've played," he said.

"We haven't become up against apiece another I conceive for over digit eld now, but we training a aggregation together, we're beatific friends and I wish it's the move of us activity apiece another in bounteous matches."

While philologue has had digit demanding matches against Alexandr Dolgopolov and Ferrer to intend to the final, Djokovic has looked in alarming touch, dropping meet digit set.

Djokovic's confidence stems from directive Srbija to their prototypal solon Cup boast against author in Belgrade terminal month.

"I knew that these digit weeks are the most important, this punctuation of the year," he said.

"This is where I poverty to play my prizewinning sport and I was environment up my modify just for this tournament. It's paid off."

Djokovic also said he thrives on Melbourne's Plexicushion hardcourt opencast on which he vex Tsonga for his exclusive Slam denomination threesome eld ago.

"I've been activity my prizewinning sport in this tournament," he said.

"This is the exclusive Grand Slam I've won and again this assemblage I've been activity great, losing exclusive a ordered before finals.

"That shows this opencast is rattling fit to my game. It's a taste slower and gives me sufficiency instance to hit a pair of options in what I poverty to do with the ball. I crapper aerobatics it out, flatten it out.

"I requirement a lowercase taste more instance for my game, and the slower surfaces are more suited to my style of the game, and this is a enthusiastic suite and I like activity on it."

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