Start well and stay aggressive
In his two previous grand slam finals, Andy Murray has started tentatively. The first time, at the US Open in 2008, was understandable, as there were plenty of nerves. Last year here he was tight as well, knowing he had a good chance to win. This time round, he will be more relaxed and that should help him start well, which could be crucial. Murray will have had only one day to recover from his semi-final compared to the two of Djokovic and if he loses the first set, it may seem like a long way to get back into the match. But in the past two years, the player who had less time off won, and they both won the first set, so the precedent is there for him to follow.
Use the drop shot and the short slice
Much like Murray, Novak Djokovic loves to grind from the back of the court, and his ground strokes are as good as anyone's, especially when he hits them down the line. The Serb is also a brilliant mover, but if he does have a weakness it is when he is required to move to the net, something that is not natural to him, although even though he has been working on it. Murray does not usually need any encouragement to use the drop shot or the short slice but it could be a doubly good tactic against Djokovic, who can be flat-footed at times. In addition, throwing in a few early drop shots will make him second-guess what Murray is going to do, which may allow the Scot to get his opponent out of his comfort zone.
Serve to the Djokovic forehand on big points
The Djokovic backhand is a shot to rival even that of Murray's, so if the Scot is to go at that side on big points, he will have to do it perfectly. Therefore, it may be worth his while to target the forehand side when he really needs to, since that is the one part of Djokovic's ground-stroke game that can break down at times. It is not a bad shot by any means, but it is a relative weakness and if he is pushed wide, especially from the deuce court, he can struggle to get enough on it. It was a ploy Roger Federer used to good effect in the early stages of their semi-final. Murray has to accept that Djokovic is such a good returner that there is a good chance he will be broken occasionally, but targeting the forehand could help him reduce the number of times it happens.
Unleash the down-the-line forehand
There were signs in his semi-final win over David Ferrer that Murray may have finally discovered what could be the last piece in the jigsaw, the down-the-line forehand. Though he has added a lot of pace to his ground strokes in the past year, he has usually relied on going cross-court and waiting for a short ball to attack. That has worked well but the very best players have been able to lean that side, knowing that, more often than not, he will go cross-court. Going down the line, especially if he can flatten it out a bit, might just take Djokovic by surprise and create an even easier opportunity to attack the net. Djokovic likes to go down the line as well, so giving him some of his own medicine might just work a treat.
Stay cool and let Djokovic feel the heat
When play begins, at around 7.30pm local time, the temperature is predicted to be 41C, which will place a bigger emphasis on fitness. Both players are excellent in that regard but Murray should be better suited, not least since he usually does his winter training in the heat and the humidity of Miami. Djokovic has struggled to cope in the heat before, occasionally suffering from cramp and exhaustion, as well as allergies. If Murray can keep the match close the tension could get to Djokovic. If that happens, the Scot should gain a significant advantage. Djokovic had to pull out of his quarter-final here in 2009 because of problems in the heat, and Murray will hope he can cope better than his fellow 23-year-old.