Roger Federer wins Australian Open

Roger Federer today defeated Andy Murray 6–3 6–4 7–6 (13–11) in the final of the Australian Open, winning the tournament for a fourth time. The Swiss Federer, who is ranked world number one in men's tennis, has now won a total of sixteen Grand Slam titles.

Going into the final Murray had won six of the ten matches where the two players had met before, and had hopes of becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam title in 74 years. The last was Fred Perry, who won the US Open in 1936. In 2008 Federer and Murray met in the final of that tournament, where the Swiss player won an easy victory.

This time the match was closer, with Murray fighting hard in the third set and at one point leading it 5–2. Federer pulled back to force a tie break, where he eventually triumphed after 2 hours 41 minutes of play.

After the match an emotional Murray said: "I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can’t play like him. I loved every minute of it and hopefully one time I can come back and win here."

Federer said he was "over the moon" to win again, and congratulated Murray on his performance in the tournament, saying he was "too good a player not to win a Grand Slam."

The Australian Open, held on hard courts at Melbourne Park, is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. The top prize is A$2,000,000. Federer previously won in 2004, 2006 and 2007.