Flushing Meadows - US Open 08

[maryb]

Anne - that's them back on court now. Unfortunately, Rafa has now gone 4-2 up in the third set. Impressive start already from Rafa.

[sabz]

YAY!! I AM SOOOO HAPPY!!! ANDY WON!!!!

he beat rafa 6-2 7-6(7-5) 4-6 6-4

HE IS IN A GS FINAL!!!! YAY!!!! ;D ;D ;D

I do like roger, but i like andy more - COME ON MURRAY!!!

ps: hope jelena wins (williams sisters annoy me! )

[maryb]

Woot woot woot woot woo!!! ;D A Scot in a Grand Slam tennis final!! Woot woot! Magnificent play from the boy. And his hard work has paid off, big time. Lovely last set from both of them. Rafa can go home and rest now, and do a spot of fishing ...

Maestro won't be pleased that it's Andy as he knows it'll be a tactical match. At least you know with Rafa that he's going to throw the kitchen sink at you ... and the bath ... and the wardrobes ... and the ...

Woot woot!!! Old-fashioned tennis is going to make a big comeback tomorrow night!

I need to go lie down. The cold, the Lem Sips and now this. But, I am a VERY happy puppy. ;D ;D ;D

[jenhatter06]

woot for Andy - should be fun tomorrow, so long as Andy's nerves don't get the best of him ... although I'm all for Fed salvaging his year a bit so the media can give him a break.

woots for Rafa's fantabulous summer - he very well deserves a break after the last 4 months

[maratsmaiden]

He should never have cut those curls:

September 6, 2008 --

MARAT Safin's new nickname should be Samson. The day before his final match at the US Open, Safin walked into the courtside outpost of the Julien Farel Salon and demanded his long, glorious locks be shorn off. The next day the Russian bad-boy took a beating from Tommy Robredo, ending his run at the tournament. "He asked for a crew cut," said stylist Alina. "He wanted a change. I didn't want to do it, but the customer is always right." Hey, you know what they say, "Hair today, gone tomorrow."

www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/gossip/pagesix/cruelest_cut_127695.htm

[annie]

You know, that comparison has crossed my mind for quite a while now....i just never say it coz i think it was too....shallow.... ;-/ and besides, he didn't win anything when he was sporting the bun...

[justsafin]

CONGRATS TO ANDY!! ;D *Sigh* Jelena lost.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7603307.stm

Murray eyes historic Slam title
By Piers Newbery

Andy Murray
Murray gave the performance of his life to beat Nadal in the last four

Andy Murray aims to become the first British man since 1936 to win a Grand Slam singles title when he plays Roger Federer in Monday's US Open final.

The 21-year-old Scot beat world number one Rafael Nadal in the semis on Sunday and is one victory from matching Fred Perry's US Open win of 72 years ago.

Murray faces another huge task as Federer eyes a fifth straight title in the final, which starts at 2200 BST.

But the Scot can take confidence from a 2-1 career record against the Swiss.

"I've played well against him in the past," said Murray. "I think a Slam final is different to the match that I played against him before.

"He's obviously won over 30 matches in a row here, you know, so he's obviously going to be feeling confident going in. He's got loads of experience in these situations and it's something new for me.

"I know I'm going to have to play great to have a chance of winning, but I've played well the last couple of weeks."

Greg Rusedski was the last British man to reach a major final, losing to Pat Rafter at the 1997 US Open, while Virginia Wade's 1977 Wimbledon win was the last British singles success at the highest level.

Murray insists that the pressure of being Britain's only realistic hope of a major title in recent years has neither spurred him on nor hampered his progress.

"For me, that didn't really have much to do with it," he said.

"The things that prepared me for these situations was when I went over to train in Spain when I was 15.

"For me, it was much tougher being away from my family for a long time rather than whether people expect me to win Slams or winning Wimbledon."

Indeed, the British number one restated his love of the US Open over the annual fortnight at the All England Club.

"I've always loved playing at Wimbledon; no question about that. But since I came here as a junior, you know, it was the first time I ever stayed in a five-star hotel.

"New York is one of my favourite cities. I love it. For me, the atmosphere and everything that goes with the centre court here kind of suits my personality a bit more than Wimbledon."

Murray is hopeful that his efforts in New York can have a similar impact as other recent British sporting triumphs.

"Obviously Tim (Henman) was incredibly consistent and one of the best players for a long time," said Murray. "He never won a Slam.

"I think that sometimes in sports it takes, you know, like with rugby back home when England won the World Cup, it became a huge sport pretty much overnight.

"Cricket, when England won against Australia and the Ashes, that went from being a smaller sport to having a lot of cricketers became celebrities after that. It was a much sort of cooler sport.

"I just think when you have a team or someone who wins the big events, it makes a big difference to the popularity of a sport in your country."

Murray's first victory over Nadal in six attempts prompted swift reaction from leading figures back in the UK.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown stayed up late to watch the game at home on TV, and said: "It was a fabulous performance by Andy Murray and a fantastic victory."

Downing Street is sending Murray a message of good luck for the final.

And Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Well done to Andy Murray on his sensational victory in beating the world number one in such superb style.

"I was glued to the TV for what was a truly epic match with fantastic tennis on display.

"I'm sure he will be at the top of the game for a very long time, because I always thought Andy has incredible talent"
Federer on Murray

"I know that the whole of Scotland will now be willing Andy to go one step further and complete the job by beating Roger Federer to become our first Grand Slam singles champion."

Murray will have to produce another top-class performance if he is to overcome Federer, who has had an extra 24 hours' rest after winning his semi before Saturday's rain.

"Ideally, I think you'd want to be in his position," said Murray. "I think it's slightly better, but it's a Grand Slam final and I'm not going to let 24 hours of rest or having to play today or whatever get in the way of giving 110%.

"I'll try my best to win the match. That's not going to be the difference tomorrow."

Federer's achievements are among the most impressive in the history of the game and he is unbeaten at Flushing Meadows since 2003.

But the 27-year-old Swiss is no longer the world number one, having lost his crown to Nadal last month, and he has been vulnerable throughout 2008.

Following a bout of glandular fever at the turn of the year, Federer lost his Australian Open title with a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in January.

Since then he has also lost his Wimbledon title to Nadal, suffered an early exit at the Olympics, and won just two minor titles in Estoril and Halle.

This has made the bid for a fifth straight US Open title all the more important to Federer and he played superbly to defeat Djokovic in the semis on Saturday.

Federer said he felt his old form returning as he closes in on a 13th Grand Slam title, which would put him one behind record holder Pete Sampras, but he has plenty of respect for Murray.

"I'm sure he will be at the top of the game for a very long time, because I always thought Andy has incredible talent," said Federer. "He's a great player."

[justsafin]

www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/10966233/rss

Serena Williams tops Jankovic to earn third U.S. Open title, No. 1 ranking
Sep. 7, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams flung her racket straight up and jumped for joy, hopping and skipping and screaming and generally looking like someone who had just won her first U.S. Open title or earned her debut at No. 1 in the rankings.

Nope.

Displaying the talent and tenacity that helped her dominate tennis earlier in the decade, Williams outlasted Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday night in a thrill-a-minute match chock full of marvelous strokes and momentum swings to win her third U.S. Open championship and ninth Grand Slam title.

And there was this "added bonus," as Williams termed it: She returns to the top of the rankings.

As the women met at the net afterward, Williams felt compelled to say to Jankovic, "I'm sorry I got so excited."

No apology necessary.

Four times a single point from heading to a third set, Williams was simply relentless. She took the final four games and took the title without dropping a set. The closest she came to losing one? In the quarterfinals, when she beat older sister Venus in two tiebreakers.

On this night, Venus was in the guest box, cheering for Kid Sis.

"Serena was a better player tonight," Jankovic said. "She was just too good tonight."

It was Williams' first triumph at Flushing Meadows since 2002, and it guaranteed that the American will lead the rankings Monday for the first time since August 2003 -- the longest gap between stints at No. 1 for a woman.

Her previous Grand Slam title came in January 2007, at the Australian Open.

For Jankovic, it was her first Grand Slam final anywhere, and she seemed to be having the time of her life. She smiled even after losing points, and she kept a close eye on the overhead video boards, either to watch replays or to check out which celebrities were in the audience.

Jankovic was ranked No. 1 for one week last month and would have returned there by winning a title match that was postponed from Saturday night because of Tropical Storm Hanna.

As good as the second-seeded Jankovic is at retrieving balls and extending points, Williams can do that with the best of them, too, leading to point after point lasting more than a dozen shots as both women scurried around Arthur Ashe Stadium, their sneakers squeaking loudly.

Both sent close-range shots directly at the other.

But the difference in strength was clear: Repeatedly after those lengthy exchanges, Jankovic was left shaking her racket hand, trying to lessen the sting. On the match's very first point, Williams drove a backhand winner with such force, such ferocity, that she sent one of her earrings flying.

The fourth-seeded Williams finished with 44 winners, 29 more than Jankovic, and smacked serves at up to 120 mph, a 14 mph edge over her opponent's fastest.

The finish was fantastic.

Williams somehow prolonged the second set after falling behind love-40 while serving and trailing 5-3.

Those three break points were set points for Jankovic, and Williams deleted each one, with a backhand winner, an overhead winner and then by forcing an errant backhand on a 10-stroke point. A 98 mph service winner left a frustrated Jankovic tossing her racket up in the air like a majorette's baton. When she sailed the next return long, Williams was at 5-4.

The next game was filled with as much drama as many a match.

Jankovic earned her fourth set point with an ace, then blew it by double-faulting.

Williams earned six break points and frittered away five. On No. 6, they produced a spectacular 22-stroke point that Williams ended with a forehand passing shot down the line.

As quickly as it once appeared things were getting away from Williams, she regained the lead. The next game featured more brilliant play by both, including a 24-stroke exchange Jankovic won with a forehand, and an 11-stroke point Williams took with a perfect stab volley.

Now up 6-5, four points from the title, Williams flexed her arm muscles and gritted her teeth. At the other end, four points from defeat, Jankovic went up to the bouncing ball and kicked it.

Serving to stay in it, Jankovic wasted a game point with a double-fault. Then she dropped a groundstroke into the net, presenting Williams with second match point. Williams converted, ending a 14-stroke point with a backhand winner.

Her father climbed out of his second-row seat to help celebrate, while her mother and Venus applauded in the guest box.

There were times when it looked as if that celebration wouldn't happen, even if one volley winner by Williams early in the second set left Jankovic sprawled on the court, doing the splits and then resting on her knees and covering her face.

To put it simply: Williams couldn't put Jankovic away.

The Serb hung tough in the second set, saving two break points at 1-0 and two more at 3-2. She also complained to the chair umpire that Williams was taking too long between points.

And suddenly, when Williams flubbed a drop shot, dumping it in the net, Jankovic broke for a 4-3 lead, then held to 5-3.

But Jankovic wouldn't win another game.

Williams wouldn't allow it.

[Natasha]

im happy for Serena and Murray.
sad for Rafa, just seemed to tired in the end

[maryb]

Ah well, I got my wish. Maestro got his thirteenth Slam. ;D ;D Felt for young Andy though, I wished it had been a five-setter ...

There was some lovely shot-making from both of them - wish we got to see that inventiveness more often on the tour. Glad to see Maestro's happy wee face again. The King is back. Wasn't much Andy could do when Maestro stepped up a gear - it all came good for him on the day.

The dream is over for Andy, but he'll have many more finals in the future. And he'll win them. He beat the no 1 for the first time and he got to his first Slam final. Well done boy, you had a great run. Scotland is proud of you. ;D

And I can get to bed now with my Lem Sip and box of hankies ... after I see the handover of the trophies.

Wonder if Mestro will shed a tear ...

[Barbarella]

Nice one Fed! Go on honey, please beat Sampras' record!

I am very sorry for Andy, but he has such a bright future ahead of him and great things to come!!!

[jenhatter06]

Fed is back. ;D

5th USO in a row. First to have won 5-in-a-row at 2 different slams. Nice.

[coolgirl]

Sept 9, 2008 3:05:04 GMT 3 Barbarella said:

Nice one Fed! Go on honey, please beat Sampras' record!

Yes! And please do it by winning RG ;D

[justsafin]

Andy Murray
US Open
Monday, September 8, 2008

Q. Pretty tough to stop a legend while he's playing like that?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, he played great today. You know, I didn't really have any chance in the first set, but I had an opportunity in the second set to go up a break, and a few opportunities. And one of them, he actually missed a backhand, which should have been my game, I think for me. It would have been ‑‑ not necessarily would have won the match or anything, but it would have given me a bit of confidence. I wasn't really ahead in any of the sets.

That made it tough, but, no, he played great today, and missed very few balls. Didn't give me too many chances.

Q. What's your overriding feeling after the match? Obviously disappointment, but do you have some pride having got that far?

ANDY MURRAY: I'm disappointed right now, you know. I wish I could have done a few things better, and given myself a few more opportunities, but, you know, I'm sure tomorrow after a few days, whenever it sort of sinks in ‑‑ it's obviously been a very good couple of weeks. And I'll try my best to work on my game, work harder, and hopefully come back and do better next time.

Q. Do you feel the deck was stacked against you? You had that match with Nadal, obviously the No. 1 seed Sunday. Now, no real rest while Federer was very much rested for this match?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, like I said yesterday, you know, ideally I would have preferred to be in his position, but I don't think that was really the reason, you know, why he won the match. You know, if he played like that, I was absolutely fresh, I'm sure it still would have been a very tough one for me to win.

But ideally, yeah, I would have liked to have a day off.

Q. You were flexing the knee at certain points. Was that an issue?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I have problems with my knee sometimes in matches, and it wasn't anything that had any bearing on the outcome of the match.

Q. Did losing those break points in the second set and thinking it looked clearly like you missed that shot, did that affect you later on? How did you put that behind you?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it was tough at the time, but I also, you know, I think after he broke me in the first set, in the first game of the set, I had pretty much all the chances, you know, in that second set up until when I got broken at 5‑6. So, you know, even after that game, I still had maybe a Love‑30 game, 15‑30 game. And I was having some chances, but I just couldn't take them.

But, yeah, I mean, partly my fault. I didn't challenge the call.

Q. You moved to No. 4 in the world, but do you feel a different player after this experience of this fortnight?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I think, you know, I've been getting consistently better this year. Each month I've been making improvements. You know, my results have got better. My rankings been moving up steadily, and, you know, obviously this being my first big Grand Slam. You know, I won Cincinnati, which was my first very big tournament.

And, yeah, I mean, a lot of things have gotten much better, but these are the tournaments that I think all tennis players really, really want to win.

You know, I didn't do it tonight, and I'm going to have to work very hard to do it some day.

Q. Was there something in particular that he did better or differently than in any of your prior matches against him?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, he made very few mistakes. The times I played him before, he had given me a few free points. I also served pretty poorly today. And the time I played him before, he didn't have any break points the whole match against me. And today I missed a lot of first serves, and he was able to dictate the points on my second serve, especially on the end when the wind was blowing into my face. He came in quite a lot when I was down at that end, and they made the differences.

Q. Just on the Hawk‑Eye system, do you think there is a case for extending its use, so it should be used all the time on every shot and every point?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I mean, I think it works pretty well the way it is. It's just sometimes, you know, as a player in the middle of a point, if there's a shot very close to the line, especially on a big point, it's rough to stop the point, even when you're still in it, just to have a look.

And I do think now the only difference is that umpires don't overrule calls at all anymore, which, you know, I think which sometimes they maybe should, because when you ask them, they always say it was very close, you know, to challenge it.

That's the only difference with Hawk‑Eye, but I think it works pretty well the way it is now.

Q. As you were gaining momentum in the third set, you were getting some tremendous ovations from the crowd. What does that kind of support do for you either at that time or even as something you take with you as you leave here?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, the support that I got in my last three, four matches has been awesome. You know, the noise they make here is so, so loud.

It's such a big stadium. It was absolutely packed today, and, yeah, I mean, when you're sort of a kid growing up, you watch those sort of matches, and, you know, you don't really get a feeling for what that sort of support is going to be like.

You know, I was very, very lucky the last few matches that they enjoyed watching me play, and hopefully next year I'll get the same support.

Q. Roger's on 13 Slams and he's one behind Sampras. Do you think he can overtake him?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, it depends. I mean, he had a great year this year, lost a couple of tough matches. I mean, he's I think 27 now. He's probably got at least four years left, you know, right at the top, I think.

It depends how much everybody else improves, I guess. He's still playing great tennis, but, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he did overtake Sampras.

Q. What can you learn from the experience of your first Grand Slam final, irrespective of how the actual match went, but just the circumstances?

ANDY MURRAY: Um, well, I think the most important thing for me over the whole two weeks was physically I was good, you know, even against Nadal. You know, I had a long match with Del Potro, as well. And I also had a lot of tough matches. Physically for seven matches I was pretty good. I can still get better, but that's something that in the past might not necessarily have been the case, and, you know, that for me is a very good experience. It's a nice feeling to know that you can last.

It comes down to the tennis, and I believe that there's so many things that I can improve on and work on, and that's exciting for me.

Q. Mats Wilander was telling me he felt he became a better player for even losing matches, even Grand Slam finals. Can you see the logic in that in any way?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. Like I said, I know mentally now that I can get to a Slam final and physically. The only thing it comes down to is the tennis. You work harder, you know what things were breaking down, what things need to get better, and you go work on them.

I hope that, you know, this would be the start of big things for me, but I'm going to need to put a lot of work in.

Q. You said on court that you felt Roger was the best of all time. If you had to boil it down just to one or two things that really allowed him to step up and be a player, what are those one or two things?

ANDY MURRAY: It's tough to say, I guess, that someone is outrightly the best player of all time. I mean, Sampras is obviously great, as well, and had some unbelievable runs, but I think ‑‑ I mean, I was looking on the ‑‑ I was watching on the TV when he was playing against Andreev, and it came up and said when he won the first set and matches and Slams, he's won 144 matches and only lost 4. And he's only lost in his whole career I think, you know, 23, 24 matches in Slams.

You know, in the big tournaments, he never has early losses. He's been so dominant, you know, in terms of ranking for the last five years, even when I think Nadal might get very close to winning the same amount of Slams as Federer and Sampras. You know, even when someone as good as him who is right behind him, you know, he's still a long way ahead in points, and it's only been until this year that Nadal has caught up to him.

So I think that sort of five years of dominance, the runs here and at Wimbledon, winning five in a row, and even at the French, he's definitely a better clay court player than Sampras. He's coming up against I think the ‑‑ well, definitely the best clay court player of all time in Nadal. That's why I think that, you know, there's a very strong argument for him being the best player.

Q. In your to‑do list following these two weeks about what you want to do in your game, what would be the first couple of things at the top of that list which now need attention?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I'll speak to my coach and my team about that. I just want to go relax for a few days and take my mind off tennis, and then I'll analyze, you know, because, I mean, there's a lot of really, really good things these couple of weeks.

I think, you know, the biggest thing for me is that, you know, when I'm serving above 65% on the first serves, and, you know, hitting them 125 and above consistently, and I'm very, very difficult to break. And when against the top players when that doesn't happen, you know, they get chances, and they're going to take them.

So that's the one thing that I'll point out, that definitely when I serve above 65%, I win the majority of my service games.

Q. Would you tell us the gist of what you said to him up at the net at the end of the match?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, he told me that it was a great tournament for me, and I said that, you know, I agreed with everyone that he's had a terrible year (laughter.)

Making the semis of Australia, final of the French, the final at Wimbledon, playing one of the best matches of all time winning a gold medal, and obviously winning the US Open.

I told him that he had, you know, a phenomenal year, regardless of what anyone said. I had a lot of respect for him, and that was it.

Q. In the third round we asked you and you said you expected to be in the final, and that's why you weren't smiling and really jazzed about your early wins. How much did that help you today, that you expected to be here?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, it wasn't necessarily that I expected to be here, it was more that it was my goal to try to win the tournament.

You know, once you actually get to the latter stages of these tournaments, it is ‑‑ you know, I played Del Potro, he hadn't lost for however long, Nadal, No. 1 player in the world, followed by Federer, and right now I'm not really expected to win all of those matches.

So it just helped me sort of stay calm, overnight, even when I was playing Nadal and I was up a couple of sets and went overnight. I didn't get too excited about things, and just stayed relaxed, and that helped.

Q. Obviously you came here for the trophy. You're going away at 21 with a check for a million dollars. Does it seem slightly unreal?

ANDY MURRAY: That's about 10 pounds, isn't it? (laughter.)

Q. Does this seem unreal to you that somebody's going to give you that amount of money at 21 years old?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I would never have even thought ‑‑ yeah, I mean, a million pounds is ‑‑ sorry, million dollars is so much money, you know, for someone my age, or for anyone, for that matter. That's the biggest check that I've ever had, you know, by a long shot. Hopefully I'll have a few more of them.

Q. Your first Slam. How big of an arena is Arthur Ashe for you to play that first Slam in?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, for me that's my favorite court. I remember watching the women's final when I played the juniors here, and it was packed, then, also. Awesome atmosphere at night.

It was tough, you know, because it was absolutely packed tonight. You know, but to get the opportunity to play against Federer in a Slam final in front of that many people, I don't think, you know, it gets really any bigger than that in tennis.

So it's going to be a great experience for me, and, you know, next time I'm sure I'll deal with the situation a bit better.

Q. When you won in 2004 here, did you see Federer play in the final?

ANDY MURRAY: I didn't. I didn't see the final, no. I saw the semifinal against Henman, but not the final.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

[justsafin]

Roger Federer Interview - US Open, Sept 8

Posted on September 8, 2008

Roger Federer
US Open
Monday, September 8, 2008

Q. When you came in to this tournament, for whatever reason you were brimming with confidence. Is that really true?



ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, I was coming here happy being an Olympic champion. I think that's what really made the big difference. If I wouldn't have played doubles at the Olympics, say, you know, I would have come here with three sort of maybe tough losses, you know.

But with the Olympic gold in doubles, it really sort of made me forget about it, and just sort of come in here and enjoy this tournament.

I mean, I'm always going to be confident, you know. I'm a four‑time defending champion. So I was always going to believe in my chances, and especially at the Slams, I knew I was so close at Wimbledon that my chances were always going to be good here.

So that's why I came into this tournament quite confident.

Q. If you compare when you won in 2007, what things have changed in your confidence and your tennis and the way you feel now?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, in the finals, I mean, I thought last year's was obviously more difficult, you know. I mean, we had a really tough match, even though it was straight sets, but today I think I really chose the right tactics against Andy who himself is a great tactician, I think. It's always important to play him the right way, otherwise you lose.

And I think I did a good job today, and I really felt towards the end of the tournament, like last year, actually, that I was playing my best as the opponents were getting more difficult. So for this reason, I'm very happy, actually, the way I'm playing right now.

The Andreev match was key, you know, to the whole US Open, and I'm very happy with where my level is right now. I believe I could still play a little bit better, but it was enough to win the US Open, so that's what counts.

Q. I know your priority is Wimbledon, but how sweet is winning the US Open? This is No. 5. Could you compare both?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, kind of. I mean, it's nice to compare five Wimbledons to five US Opens, you know, no doubt. Not many guys ‑‑ nobody can do that, you know. (laughter.)

So it's quite nice, you know. I'm quite proud obviously of my achievement. It takes a lot out of a player, you know, always trying to go from one tournament to the next and trying to do your best, you know, but I mean, it's been a tough summer.

I think the French Open loss was brutal, but I got over that one pretty easily, played great on the grass, and had a really tough loss at Wimbledon which ‑‑ you know, I was proud to be part of such a great match, but at the same time, you know, it just sort of made me sad, you know, not having won that great epic match. Maybe I was always dreaming about it and not winning it, you know.

I was always positive, you know. I knew that if things go my way, and this year hasn't always been the case. You know, I lost quite a few matches I should have never lost, and they hurt. Now, getting the fifth US Open, it really means a lot to me. I really thank the fans, as well, the crowds. They were great.

I mean, from the beginning, that's really what I was hoping for.

And losing my No. 1 ranking, that's also what meant a lot to me this season. So to bounce back straightaway after losing the No. 1 ranking, this is the best scenario ever.

Q. You were showing more emotion in this tournament than I personally have ever seen, even in the earlier rounds ‑ fist pumps throughout the whole tournament, almost like Jimmy Connors right there. What was it about this tournament that you really had an asterisk next to it? You wanted to win it almost more than I've ever seen.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, like I said, I came in with good spirits from the Olympic Games, where we had some crazy celebrations there ourselves. I guess, I stayed in that cloud and just kept it going here. I actually beat some really good players in tough conditions, and the relief was enormous as I was progressing in the tournament.

And I think those were the reasons that, you know, emotionally I was much more alive than ever.

I think towards the end, especially today, I felt in control all the way. So I didn't have to go, sort of crazy, emotionally, which was good. I could save energy and stay very concentrated for the entire match today.

I played great, you know. I felt like I was invincible for a while again, and that's exactly how you sort of want to finish a tournament, I guess.

Q. Now that you have your first major win and your third major final of the year, how would you describe your year?

ROGER FEDERER: Good. Pretty happy, you know.

It's been maybe a year with little less titles than usual, you know. Especially struggling Masters Series I think this year, you know, but I still have a couple left. Other than that, the Slams went okay, you know. Considering the year I've had, I'm very happy right now.

I always knew that if I were to get one Slam under my belt, especially the last one, things weren't looking that bad like everybody was talking about. Anyway, I was always positive, like I mentioned before, and for this reason, I think this is really ‑‑ I mean, a great effort from my side, you know, to people saying I was under pressure. I didn't feel I was under pressure to prove myself in trying to win here, but this definitely feels very sweet, and I think it's key for this season, obviously.

Q. How do you expect it to carry over for next year? What do you expect of yourself next year?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, first, I'd like to get through the season healthy and playing well. I mean, there's still a couple of highlights for me. I got Davis Cup at home, I got Basel, my hometown tournament, where I used to be a ballboy. I got the Masters Cup, Shanghai, I'd like to defend that title, as well. So I still have many, many highlights for me. I'm looking forward to those challenges. Then we'll see how next year looks like, but I'm obviously very confident.

Q. You had that huge reception on opening night, and throughout the fans have been by your side. Today was incredible. Even afterwards, the throngs didn't want to let you go. Talk about the connection between this town, odd, brash New Yorkers, and a pretty sophisticated European Swiss guy. How is that chemistry working and what's happening that's so wonderful?

ROGER FEDERER: I think also opening night on Monday, getting the reception I got, I think really touched me a lot, actually. You know, after making the trip here to play at, you know, Madison Square Garden against Pete, seems like it was very worthwhile. I think I've gotten even more fans in New York here for making this trip and making that night very special.

So to come here at the US Open and getting continuous support throughout from New Yorkers, means a lot to me, because I'm not the type who wants to win over the fans. If it comes naturally, I think that's the biggest compliment a player can get. That's I think what I've been able to achieve not only here in New York but here but also worldwide.

Q. So you feel like a little bit like a New Yorker now?

ROGER FEDERER: I guess so, yeah.

Q. Can you sort of tell us what you've been doing the last couple of hours to celebrate?

ROGER FEDERER: You really want to know? It's not that bad.

No, I mean, I've gotten in the habit of, you know, if I win a Slam, I want to enjoy it first with all my friends and family who came here and supported me throughout. I used to make the error of going into doping control and press right away, and I wouldn't be back for two‑and‑a‑half hours, and then people had to leave and I wouldn't see them.

I give myself a chance to soak up the great moment and enjoy it with them ‑ glass of champagne, be myself for an hour, for a little bit in the locker room.

Everybody's so happy, you talk about the match again, about the tournament, how great it is to be sitting here now with the trophy, take all sorts of pictures with the trophy, all your friends who are there and family and everybody's happy and proud.

It's a nice moment. I'd like to take my time with that.

Q. An argument could be made that you had the mono early on and it's taken you all this time really to fully recover. Do you think that's possible?

ROGER FEDERER: Possibly. I mean, I didn't feel like I was moving all that great still, you know, for the last couple of months. I thought it was okay, you know. I think I was okay on clay and on grass. Then when I came back to hardcourts, I think just my coordination was missing a little bit, because first of all, I haven't played on hardcourt for a while, and usually that comes back quite automatically, without me having to force the issue. But I didn't feel like it was all that great moving, especially in Cincy and Toronto.

I think there were some good moments at times, occasionally, as well as the Olympic Games. And I think here as the tournament went on, I started to feel like I was moving better and better. I think that was a good sign for me, and that also gave me a lot of confidence being able to know I could play defense and offense, because sometimes I just had the feeling I had to play offense because my defense was just not acceptable in my standpoint.

Q. You mentioned you lost a few tournaments. Did that bother you that there seemed to be this growing conventional wisdom that Roger Federer has had a great career but he may have peaked at this point and he's on the downside. Did that ever get to you?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I don't think it got to me, but I was aware of it. I mean, I'm a bit disappointed. Sometimes to a point a bit annoyed, because all sorts of crazy people started writing me and trying to reach me, telling me I need some help either mentally or physically. (Laughter) You're laughing but it's the way it goes. People come out of closet and think they can start helping me now. It's just a pain.

For me, this sort of puts them to rest a little bit, and calms down the phones at my parents' a little bit, which I'm happy about.

Q. The tactics that you used against Murray, could you describe that a little more, the second serve attacking, attacking the net?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, I'm not going to say things here because I need to keep beating the guy for many years to come. But I think he's improved a lot the last year or so. I think he had a tough draw at the Australian Open, actually which would have put himself in an even better position for this year, but he drew Tsonga I think first round, and that sort of kept him under the radar for a little bit.

But I think winning Cincinnati and doing so well here again and, you know, doing also I think well at Wimbledon I think he's really picked his game up.

He's got many different opportunities to play any player, I think. That's what makes him dangerous. He's got the good slice, he can come to net, he can stay back, he can stay very far back.

So he's got three different options, and not many players have that out there. For this reason you need to adapt a little bit on how he plays you. I think that's where I'm the best at in the game, is try to figure out how to beat the guy.

I had a game plan going in, but then also had to adjust it throughout the match.

Q. How much of a factor do you think experience was today? You have all the Grand Slam finals and he had none.

ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, I was obviously aware of that. You know, I mean, I know what it takes to win here. I know that usually I do play my best on the big occasions, especially here in New York. I've had some incredible matches for my standard, and I knew that it was always going to be difficult for Andy, but this was the reason why I really wanted to get off a good start in the match, you know, and be able to control him, you know, especially winning the first set I think was key.

And then after that, you know, you can try out a few more things, and I realized coming in against him, chip and charging in the third set was going to be a good solution, you know. Then just playing patient as well for a while was important.

But I think important was to serve well, as well, and I served well throughout the entire tournament. So I'm very aware that was key today, as well, was the ‑‑ what do you call it?

Q. Experience.

ROGER FEDERER: Experience, thank you. It helps.

Q. Can you say specifically what Andy has to do to take that extra step actually to win a Slam?

ROGER FEDERER: I don't think a whole lot. I think he's got himself in better physical shape. So from that standpoint he's better than ever.

I think with finals like this, you know, he knows now what it sort of takes to get very far into a Grand Slam. I think it's something that's unusual. You know, once you get to the semis or finals, you're celebrating your first quarters, celebrating first semis and first final. It takes a toll on you emotionally, as well, because all of a sudden there's all the attention you ever wanted, but what you really want to do is focus on getting the title.

I think by putting yourself in those types of positions, giving yourself opportunities, you know, he'll only get bigger. I always thought he was a big match player. You know, give him the biggest court in the world, he will have no problem handling it. I think that's what he's shown anyway throughout his career.

Q. On that note, you always seem to speak with tremendous sportsmanship, especially about some of the younger players coming up through the ranking. Is that something maybe as a statesman now you feel a responsibility to do?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, it's up to me to be honest, you know. I'm a very honest guy. If I think a guy is good, I'll let you know. If I think the guy is average, I'll let you know that, too. I think the guys coming up right now they've sort of broken through, and I was maybe expecting them to break through maybe half a year or year earlier. You know, but it was only really Rafa and Novak who broke through from the group earlier, you know.

I mean, Rafa I always knew he was going to be a great player from the first moment I played him on. And I think Novak's done a incredible job of improving because I wasn't that impressed from Novak in the first place when I played him in Monaco. But Rafa, from the first moment, I knew he was going to be unbelievable.

So with Murray I always had the feeling he was an incredible talent, as well. And it was going to take him just a touch longer than the other guys because he had to figure out some things, you know, in his life and I think now it's all looking good for him.

Then new guys like Del Potro or Baghdatis. There's a bunch of guys around. So I think the men's tour is looking great. They also have good sportsmanship, which I think is important I look forward to playing them more often.

Q. When you started knocking down the Slams very quickly, Sampras with 14 was out there. Now you're right there at 13. Does that do anything to your head now, and will it do anything to your head in the next year?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I would have been disappointed, you know, losing today and having three finals and one semis of Slams. You feel like you missed an entire year, you know, being so close but yet so far, because semis and finals don't help me a whole lot anymore in my career. It's all about the wins, and that's why this is huge. This is massive, really, and I'm very, very happy about this Grand Slam obviously. It's a different type of flavor, this one, to me, no doubt.

And I can definitely go into the rest of the season more relaxed now, and then also looking forward with great spirits for next year.

Q. How much of a priority is now regaining No. 1? And how easy or difficult do you think you've got it?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, we'll see. Rafa has had an incredible season, as well. He's gotten everything last few months, you know ‑ Olympics, Wimbledon, French Open, Toronto. I mean, he's been playing so well. On clay, he dominated again. I know it's going to be difficult to get it back, but this was definitely a major step forward for me, trying to defend this title.

I don't know what it takes to become again No. 1, but my focus is just try to finish the year in style, and then next year I'll attack it again. I'll have many more opportunities, especially at the Masters Series and also at the Slams. The ones I wasn't able to win this year, I'll have again a chance next year.

Q. Two questions: Are you still playing Stockholm first? And second, can you talk a little bit more about your parents and Mirka helping this year, especially with all these doomsday scenarios sort of came out, what impact they've been on you?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, the schedule is to play Davis Cup, couple weeks off, then Stockholm, Madrid, Basel, Paris and Shanghai, a couple of exos in Asia. So that's what the plan is this year. It's been a crazy schedule this year.

So stayed fresh all the way sort of to the end. Here at the Open, very happy that it sort of all worked out.

No, I mean, my parents and Mirka, they're obviously very important to me, you know. They've been helpful, you know. I don't think anybody had to really talk to me and sit me down and say, Roger, it's not looking that bad, because I was never down and, how do you say, sad or disappointed or frustrated in any way. I'm always basically the first guy telling the guys not to be disappointed or sad, you know. It's really me pushing the group and them pushing me. So that's always very important, as well, I think.

Q. I'm not sure if you heard this, you finished the match, and the group started playing You're Still the One.

ROGER FEDERER: Third time this week.

Q. Sorry?

ROGER FEDERER: That's the third time already.

Q. I know, but this time it meant something to you. What did it mean to you?

ROGER FEDERER: It's great. The guy putting on the music being my fan, right? (laughter.)

It's nice. I really do appreciate it. People are happy when they see me. It's incredible the amount of people here in New York that just come up to me and recognize me now and sort of wish me luck; cab drivers screaming out, I'm still the guy, and you can do it. It's great, you know.

I mean, I really feel like this city has really warmed up to me, and so have I to them. So this is huge victory for me, and, you know, enjoying it with other 23,000 people in the stadium was an unbelievable feeling today.

Q. On a similar theme, Roger, you have this crazy situation where you only got two finals and the semi and a gold. And you set a standard that was so incredibly high, so all the questions were there, hey, what's up. If you had to boil down the two weeks you had here at the US Open and your experience, do you think the best word is "redemption" or is there a better phrase or word that comes to you?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I don't understand "redemption" quite that well, but I don't think that's what it is. I don't feel like I needed this win particularly to prove myself, you know. I don't think I'm at that point anymore. Of course, if I lose four straight times in majors in the first round, then obviously I have the point to prove.

I was that close to winning so many of the big tournaments this season, that like I said, I was never really anxious trying to win a particular one. I was disappointed not winning the Olympics. I was disappointed losing the epic at Wimbledon, but this was as big of a goal maybe this season, you know. I mean, going for five US Opens is probably the last time ever in my career I'll have that opportunity, so to keep it alive and actually just keeping the streak like I did at Wimbledon is something I'm very, very happy about.

It's just being happy to be on top, you know. I mean, that's what it's about for me. All the hard work paid off. I was never down, you know. I was just trying to figure out the best way of ‑‑ in this tough season, really was tough schedule for all us players. Trying to find a way to win during these last three weeks, where we all came here incredibly tired from Beijing. So to get the victory at last was an unbelievable feeling.

So things are not looking that bad like everybody's talking about. That's just what I'm happy about.