But it was not to be. Few on this earth – with the possible exception of Rafael Nadal – could have beat Roger Federer in the ‘grapple in the Apple’ on the Arthur Ashe court last night. Andy Murray clearly could not – this time.
And yet, and yet! There were glimpses of the Murray that has, and I’m sure will again, beat Federer. Murray loves Flushing Meadows – its vastness, its buzz, its NYC setting; and hard court seems to be his favourite surface. So expect him to compete well here again next year.
But what of last night? We could grumble, petulantly, that Murray was a victim of tropical storm Hanna and the US networks, and was simply worn out after his epic win over Nadal, played over two long days. He certainly looked it in the first set as the rampant Federer – last night at his frighteningly flowing best – took it easily, barely breaking a sweat in the sweltering heat, the swirling wind leaving him coolly collected.
But the second set – ah, there’s the rub! After losing his serve and then breaking back, Murray began to mix it up - Federer’s flowing play tantalisingly interrupted. Cracks appeared, and it looked as though Federer’s almighty grip on the match might slip under the pressure. Murray was 40-0 up to break back to 3-2 up when the baseline judge miscalled a Federer shot that would have given Murray the lead, and quite possibly the momentum to take the second set. And if he had, who knows what might have happened to the dynamic of the match? The great unknown and lure of sport.
Alas, poor Yorick – it was not to be, and just as we were desperate to see the outcome of the seemingly inevitable tie-break, the Federer train was back on track, the Murray right knee was causing concern again, and the second set had slipped away in a flash.
Murray fought on valiantly, but to little further effect, and it was Federer who made history – the first man to win five consecutive US Open titles since Bill Tilden in 1924 – rather than Murray.
But don’t worry: Murray mania feels different to Henmania. There is, I think, an inevitability about Murray winning, and winning big – slams, the US Open, maybe even Wimbledon. He has the strength, he has the guts and the stomach for the fight – and an unorthodox approach to tennis that will serve that fight well. He has, in short, the balls. And the wait will not be long.