US Tennis Open 2012 Results

Ivan Lendl smiles after Andy Murray beats Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the US Open championship (AP)

Many thought that Murray was facing Mission Impossible again yesterday against . Here was a man who had won 27 straight matches in the two hard-court grand slams, using his extraordinary flexibility and defensive impregnability to mow down everyone from Nadal to to Murray himself.

Yet Djokovic showed signs of fallibility in the first few games yesterday. It felt as through he was less happy about the strong wind, which rippled the players’ clothes and had the Stars and Stripes over the stadium’s big screen standing proud. Only after the first half-dozen games did Djokovic begin to settle into the pounding, unrelenting rhythm that we expect from him — a rhythm in which he only misses a shot when he is put under the heaviest of pressure.

The first set took a few minutes to find its shape, but the players produced an astonishing 55-shot rally in the sixth game.

Novak Djokovic stretches for a return (AFP/Getty Images)

Given that the ball was dancing around in the wind like a fly in a jamjar, it was a sign of what extraordinary control these men can exert, even in the most difficult conditions. They are an example to anyone with their fast footwork, soft hands, and skilful control of spins.

The first set went to a tie-break, and no ordinary tie-break either. Tennis greybeards still talk about the great John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg tie-breaker from the 1980 Wimbledon final, which went to 18-16 before McEnroe finally seized it. Murray won last night’s by a mere 12-10, but it actually took longer than its ancestor, because where McEnroe was dashing to the net and putting away volleys, Murray and Djokovic were duelling away with 30-shot rallies from the back of the court.

The US Open final is screened on a big screen as the sun sets behind the New York City skyline (AP)

Murray needed 24 minutes and no fewer than six set points before he finally found a powerful serve to clinch one of them. Then, in the second set, he went through the wringer again, taking a 4-0 lead before allowing Djokovic to equalise at 5-5. When you are talking about a pair of returners as good as these two, no lead is ever safe, because easy service games are a rarity.

(AP)

But even now, Murray held his nerve, pulling off a third break of serve in six attempts at 6-5 to save himself another tie-breaker. He led Djokovic by two sets in the US Open final. It was reality-check time.

The trouble was that Djokovic is known for his resilience in big matches. In last year’s semi-final here, he came back from two sets down to beat Roger Federer. And last night he threatened to do it again. Murray fans must have been watching through their fingers as the Serbian performed his patented recovery act.

Tennis fans at the Dunblane Hotel in Murray's hometown of Dunblane, Scotland stayed up late to watch the final (Reuters)

Murray’s energy dropped in the third set, and his legs turned to lead as Djokovic found inspiration to take it 6-2. It is a common pattern in closely-fought men’s matches: the player on the precipice usually takes energy in his desperation, while the man with the upper hand tends to experience some sort of dip.