Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. The world No. 1 great secured his fourth Aussie title in five years by handling the sixth-seeded Murray 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0 in 3 hours, 39 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. This was the first time that a mens Aussie final ended with a love set. It marked Djokovics eighth career Grand Slam title in 15 major finals. Hes also the reigning Wimbledon champ. Djokovic joined Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi an eight-time major champ in the Open Era. The great Djokovic also joined Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer as the only men in the Open Era to play in five finals at the Aussie Open. He has won all five of his finals here, including three now against Andy Murray, who also gave way to the Serb in the 2011 and 2013 finals, as well as a semi here in 2012. Djokovic and Murray are the only pair in the Open Era to contest three Aussie Open title tilts. Djokovic snuck out the ultra-tight 72-minute opening set via tiebreak before Murray returned the favor in a grueling 80-minute second. Both stanzas featured fierce ball striking and lengthy, physical rallies. But the match would take a turn for Djokovic in the third set. After trailing 0-2, he broke Murray to even the third at 2-all, consolidated the break with a hold, and then simply managed to cruise from there. The Serbian stalwart won 12 of the final 13 games, including nine in a row to seal the deal in Melbourne. The match came to a close when a weary Murray netted one final backhand. Djokovic broke Murray a whopping nine times, while the British star settled for five breaks in a losing effort. Murray only managed to win 14 of his 41 second-serve points for a paltry 34 percent. The mighty Djokovic is now 12-0 versus Murray after winning the first set of their encounters. Firstly, I want to return the favor to congratulate Andy for a great tournament. Bad luck tonight, Djokovic said. But most importantly I want to congratulate you and Kim [Sears] on your engagement. I wish you a wonderful wedding and lots of kids. To my team, who are with me through good and bad times. They tolerate a lot from me both on and off the court. They sacrifice a lot, added the Serb. Capturing his first Grand Slam title since becoming a father, Djokovic said: Its slightly different thinking for me now since I became a father and a husband. A protester was stopped on court by security during the second set, causing a brief delay in play. Tournament organizers said two people were arrested by police. Security responded immediately. Both were quickly removed with minimal disruption to play, tournament organizers said. Security guards caught one court invader, who was wearing a white shirt with the message Australia Open for Refugees, near the baseline during a changeover after the seventh game of the second set. The players were surrounded by security staff while stadium officials rushed into action. A group of other people who had unfurled a large banner with the same message was escorted out of Laver Arena. Djokovic improved to 16-8 lifetime against his fellow 27-year-old Murray, including 5-2 at Grand Slam events, and the Serb is now 3-2 in their career Grand Slam finals. Djokovic is also now 5-2 versus Murray in best-of-five-set matches. Murray had been 5-4 against Djokovic in their overall career finals matchups prior to Sunday. Murray said the Aussie has been the most consistent major of my career, but I just havent been able to win it. Ill try and come back next year and have a different outcome in the final, he added. Djokovic improved to 49-22 in his overall career finals, while Murray dropped to 31-15, including 2-6 at the majors. Djokovic now owns 50 career match wins at the Aussie, where only Federer (75-12) and Edberg (56-10) have secured more victories at this hardcourt major in the Open Era. The amazing Djokovic has won his last 10 matches against fellow Top-10 players. Djokovic claimed a first-place check worth just over $2.4 million, while Murray settled for $1.2 million as the bridesmaid. Steve Nash Jersey . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks Jersey .com) - It appears both the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls will reach the playoffs, but the two squads are coming off losing efforts. http://www.mavericksteamofficial.info/di...ricks-jersey/.5 million, four-year contract with the Texas Rangers that could be worth $32. 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Bringing him back, along with the rest of the personnel responsible for the clubs resurgence, has been an offseason priority for Ujiri. As far as Im concerned, keeping our core group going forward... those guys are priorities for us, the Raptors GM had said after extending head coach Dwane Casey in May. And if you want to build, I think a team where we have young players, we have to build continuity. When free agency comes, we have to attack our guys first. That he did, taking care of the heavy lifting before the July moratorium period was lifted at 12:01 AM Thursday. With the leagues salary cap set for next season, teams can make their signings official at this time and the Raptors are expected to do so at a media conference in the morning. Vasquez, like Patterson, came to the Raptors in Decembers seven-player swap with Sacramento. The 27-year-old came into his own late into the season as he got closer to 100 percent following an offseason ankle surgery. The fiery Venezuelan sparked his new team with passion and hot shooting, anchoring the second unit and backing up Lowry, also playing alongside him in the backcourt on occasion. Id use the word passionate for Greivis, Casey said back in May. He has stones. Hes probably, truth be told, probably the most confident player on the team. He feels like he can score onn LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in his prime, which is great and you need that.dddddddddddd If you tell him, Greivis, run through that window right there, hes going to do it. Now he may look at you a little bit, but hell do it. The versatile fourth-year guard averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists in 61 games with Toronto, shooting 39 percent from three-point range, after struggling to fit in as a member of the Kings to begin the season. Often expressing his admiration for the city of Toronto and his desire to return this summer, Vasquez has credited the move from Sacramento as a turning point in his young career. It would be heartbreaking if I dont come back, Vasquez said in his memorable exit interview the day after Torontos postseason elimination. Im an emotional guy, so I really embrace, Im really committed to the team, to the city, to this franchise. Although a $6.5 million annual salary is on the high end for a backup point guard, the Raptors value Vasquez as more than that and the reasonable two-year term allows them to maintain their flexibility leading up to the summer of 2016. Vasquez has proven himself a capable starter in the league, averaging career-highs of 13.9 points and 9.0 assists while finishing second in Most Improved Player voting with New Orleans in 2012-13. Not only can he co-exist with both newcomer Lou Williams and Lowry in the backcourt, but he serves as insurance if the latter were to miss time with an injury. With the NBA salary cap set at just over $63 million for next season, the tax level at $76.8 million, the Raptors figure to have most of their mid-level exception - roughly $5 million - to spend with three open roster spots after completing deals with Vasquez, Lowry, Patterson and rookie Bruno Caboclo, who was signed to his rookie scale contract Wednesday afternoon. ' ' '