article: The world number two is due to become a father and will, I'm sure, cherish that above anything he could ever achieve on a tennis court. But I don't think this new year will be notable in the Murray household simply for the addition of a welcome new member. There's every indication major trophies will be celebrated too. It's only a few weeks since Murray completed the perfect Davis Cup year; unbeaten as he helped return the famous old trophy to these shores for the first time in nearly 80 years. That was one of his main targets for 2015. Mission accomplished, and in some style, beating a fine player in Belgium's David Goffin in his own back yard, on clay, in straight sets, with one of the best match points - and winning shots - ever seen. The feel-good factor from such an achievement can last months. When Novak Djokovic savoured success with Serbia in the Davis Cup at the end of 2010, he followed it up with one of the best years in the history of tennis. He didn't lose a match until the semi-finals of the French Open, and won the other three Grand Slam titles. Incredibly, the super Serb was even better last year, reaching all four major finals, and winning three, as well as six out of the eight Masters Series events he entered. Could Andy do a Novak? That's perhaps asking too much. But I certainly think 2016 will be the year Murray's major count gets going again. It's two and a half years since he won the second of his two Slam titles. The game has moved on since then, and the Scot has had back surgery and switched coaches. He was, however, much more like his old self in 2015, winning four titles, including his first two on clay, and competing well for three of the four main prizes. Finishing the year ranked second in the world, for the first time in his career, will have done the confidence no harm either; nor will beating Roger Federer, albeit in the end-of-season IPTL exhibition. He'll go into 2016 with an extra spring in his step and as the second seed for the Australian Open, which gets under way in just over two weeks' time in Melbourne. Murray knows he doesn't have to worry about Novak Djokovic until the final, should both men get there. So the Scot will reflect on 2015 as a year that ended much better than it began. Ranked sixth in the world when the notes of Auld Lang Syne were fading away, he'd just been thrashed 6-0 6-1 by Federer at the World Tour Finals in London. When Murray headed down under to Melbourne in January, the first Grand Slam of the season once again brought out the best in him as he reached his fourth Australian Open final. It proved, however, to be the one that got away; from a break up in the third set against Djokovic, Murray lost 12 of the next 13 games in that final. But
summary: This will be a landmark year for Andy Murray - I have no hesitation in predicting that whatsoever.