Photos: Novak Djokovic, the undisputed king of Melbourne

[caption id=“attachment_2074601” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  Novak Djokovic may have garnered a reputation as the crown prince of pranksters in tennis but on Sunday he firmly established him as the king of Melbourne’s blue hardcourts with his fifth Australian Open title. REUTERS[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2074603” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  The 27-year-old Serb, limping from two slips on court, breathing heavily and battling a “physical crisis”, overcame a fired-up Andy Murray 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 to clinch his fourth Australian title in the past five years. It was his eighth grand slam title overall. REUTERS[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2074605” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  Novak Djokovic also overcame a slight shift in momentum in the second set when security staff had to remove a group of people, two of whom managed to jump on court but did not get near the players, protesting Australia’s policy on refugees. REUTERS[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2074607” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  Since Djokovic won his first grand slam title in 2008 he has compiled a 47-3 record in Melbourne. His reign means he has the record for most Australian Open titles in the Open era, one behind Australia’s Roy Emerson who dominated in the 1960s. REUTERS[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2074609” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  The fight appeared gone from Murray and when Djokovic jumped to a 3-0 lead in the fourth, he buried his head beneath a towel, and while he appeared to metaphorically throw it in, he insisted the top seed had simply thrown caution to the wind. REUTERS[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2074611” align=“aligncenter” width=“940”]  Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Murray in the men’s singles final match at the Australian Open 2015. REUTERS[/caption]