A win for Murray will end the Federer and Nadal era

Andy Murray faces Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday and has the chance to make history, not only by becoming the first Briton to win a Grand Slam since Fred Perry in 1936 but also bringing the curtain down on the era of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

The 23-year-old Scot made it through to the final by beating David Ferrer over four sets in a pulsating semi-final that featured some wonderful tennis from both players. The Spaniard, who had pulled off the shock of the tournament in the previous round by knocking out Rafa Nadal, won the first set despite going a break down early on.

In throwing away an early advantage, and then the first set, Murray looked more inconsistent than at any time during his Australian campaign. But he regrouped in the second set to take it a tie-break, which he won easily as the tenacious Ferrer began to let the pressure get to him. That was the tonic Murray needed and changed up a gear in the third set winning it 6-1.

The Spaniard put up more resistance in the fourth set which also went to a tie-break, but once again Murray took control when it mattered and ran out the 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-6 (7-2) winner in just under four hours.

Murray now takes on the Serb Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, and will be hoping that it will be third time lucky in his quest for a Grand Slam title. The Scot has been here twice before, and both times found Federer in his way. After losing the final at last year's Australian Open to the Swiss last year he was reduced to tears.

The final will be something of a novelty as it will be only the third in almost seven years not to feature either Federer or Nadal.  

Incredibly, one of them has made it to the final of all but two of the last 26 Grand Slams (the Australian Opens of 2005 and 2008), and between them they have won 23 of them.

Since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, only two men other than Federer and Nadal have won a Major. Juan Martin del Potro unexpectedly beat Federer at the US Open in 2009, and Djokovic took advantage of their absence from the 2008 Melbourne final by beating unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

But if Murray does go on to win the title then it would represent a major landmark in tennis history and spell the end of the Nadal, Federer era. Murray would be the first man to win a Grand Slam without having beaten one of the big two since the little-known Argentinian Gaston Gaudio won the French Open in 2004. ·