Djokovic Wins Second Open Title, Frustrating Federer And The Crowd

Once again, Novak Djokovic was the antidote to Roger Federer on a roll.

After stopping Federer in this year's Wimbledon final, Djokovic did the same on Sunday in the U.S. Open final, prevailing despite a hostile crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium and underscoring his status as the world's No. 1 player.

Djokovic's 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory gave him a second U.S. Open singles title and a 10th Grand Slam singles title, moving him into a tie with Bill Tilden for seventh place on the career list.

This victory did not come easily. First, it was a waiting game with the final delayed more than three hours by rain.

When it began, it became apparent that Djokovic would be playing on the road, with the sellout crowd at Ashe Stadium giving Federer nothing but positive reinforcement and greeting Djokovic's winners with polite applause at best.

After breaking Federer in the third game, Djokovic lost his balance while changing direction in the next game and fell hard to the blue court, scraping his right forearm and looking a bit dazed for the next three points as Federer succeeded in breaking back. (Federer's Strengths Abandon Him on Big Stage)

But Djokovic has become as tough to break down mentally as he is tough to break down in a baseline rally. And with Federer's first-serve percentage stuck below 50 percent, Djokovic won the opening set.

Federer found his form in the second, but as at Wimbledon, he was unable to sustain that drive, even with the crowd fully behind him, cheering for Djokovic's missed first serves and other errors.

Federer's final chance to extend the match came in the fourth set, when he cut Djokovic's two-break advantage from 5-2 to 5-4 and then had three break point opportunities on Djokovic's serve to get back to 5-5.

This victory made Djokovic's season one of the finest in tennis history, even better in Grand Slam terms than his remarkable 2011, when he won three of the major singles titles and lost in the semifinals of the French Open to Federer.

© 2015 New York Times News Service