Murray, Djokovic resume rivalry

Andy Murray sets out Monday to end a record run of Australian Open final defeats as his great rival Novak Djokovic vies to become the tournament's greatest champion of all-time.

World number one Murray is looking to avoid becoming the first man in the post-1968 Open era to lose six Grand Slam finals at the same major.

His coach Ivan Lendl lost five finals at the US Open before he broke through in New York in 1985.

Murray, who opens his campaign with against Ukraine's Illya Marchenko, says he's in a better position this time to finally break through for his maiden Australian Open.

"I obviously feel pretty confident after the way the last season finished," Murray said. I do love it here. I love the conditions. I have played really well here over the years, and I just haven't managed to get over the final hurdle.

"But I think I'm in a decent position to do it. I think I have a chance to win here."

Murray is coming off a magnificent 2016 which included a second Wimbledon crown, a successful Olympic title defence and knocking Djokovic off the top spot to become world number one for the first time.

He is drawn to meet Japanese fifth seed Nishikori or Swiss legend Roger Federer in the quarters and 2014 winner Wawrinka in the semis.

Murray knows that Djokovic will be gunning for him in the year's first Grand Slam where he has a fantastic record of six finals and six victories going back to 2008.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion can take outright ownership of the record for Australian titles if he wins for a seventh time in Melbourne.

The Serb is currently tied with Australia's Roy Emerson on six Australian titles.

"One of the reasons I'm here is to try to win every match that I play, and eventually the title," Djokovic said.

Djokovic faces a potential banana-skin in the first round against experienced Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco, ranked 40, has beaten Djokovic four times in their 13 encounters.

Grand Slam warriors Federer and Nadal should also be in the mix, but they lack match time and their rankings have slipped.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams has vowed to make life difficult for top seed Angelique Kerber and a host of dangerous players out to derail her at the Australian Open, warning she is in Melbourne to win.

The American gets her quest for an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam title underway in a difficult first-round clash against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic on Tuesday.

It will be one the few matches she has played after a four-month lay-off.

But the 35-year-old, seeded two, is in fighting mood despite being bundled out in the second round of her only warm-up tournament, the Auckland Classic.

"I didn't come here to lose in the first round, or the second round, or at all," she said on Saturday. "If I can play the way I've been practising, it will be fine."