US Open Men’s Final 2012: Watch Live Stream Online of Djokovic vs. Murray; Start Time, Prediction, Preview

Preview: For the fourth time in the past five years, the US Open men's final has been forced back to Monday, but Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray look set to make the championship match well worth the wait.

With Rafael Nadal out injured and Roger Federer suffering a surprise quarterfinal defeat to Tomas Berdych, Murray has taken full advantage to reach his fifth Grand Slam title. If the Scot follows the same career progression as his coach, Ivan Lendl, then he will be holding the trophy aloft in tennis' biggest arena.

Lendl was seen as the ideal man to take Murray to that daunting next level, having lost his first four Grand Slam titles before going on to claim a remarkable eight of them. The positive impact the Czech had made on the mental side of Murray's game--for so long his weakness--was there for all to see as he won Olympic gold just weeks after claiming his first set in a Grand Slam final in a credible performance against Roger Federer.

Things have not been wholly plain sailing in New York, however. His psychological lapses returned in a struggling victory over Feliciano Lopez while a sluggish start saw him on the verge of going two sets to love down against Marin Cilic. Murray knows that similar mental slipups against Djokovic will leave him once again dejected at the match's climax.

Djokovic's progress to his fourth US Open final has been much more serene. The Serbian has lost just the one set, in a weather-disrupted semifinal victory over David Ferrer. While Djokovic fell short tof claiming his Career Grand Slam at Roland Garos and relinquished his title at Wimbledon, he is looking to stretch his winning streak at hard-court majors to four, stretching back to the start of an incredible run of form at last year's Australian Open.

In the final in Melbourne Djokovic defeated his opponent on Monday, Murray, in straight sets and also got the win in the pair's only other Grand Slam meeting earlier this year in the semifinals Down Under.

Their head-to-head record is close, with Murray trailing 8-6, but to date Djokovic has been the man for the big occasion. Murray will be hoping that that notion is now a thing of the past, however, after a straight sets win in the semifinal of the Olympics.

While a gold medal is a fine achievement, it is not a Grand Slam and doubts will remain about his mental fortitude until he claims one of the sport's four biggest prizes.

Djokovic starts as a clear favorite, though. His greater potency on the forehand side could prove crucial against an opponent that can often struggle to take the initiative against the sport's elite competitors.

If Murray keeps his first-serve percentage high, he should at least keep the match a close and entertaining contest, but Djokovic looks set to continue Murray's and Britain's Grand Slam drought.