The grass season is finished for another year which means attention turns back to the hard court and the upcoming US Open.
The final slam of the year kicks off in a little over a month and while we wait, we’ve put together a list of the best finals in men’s singles history.
5.) Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic – 2012
In 2012, there were questions over whether Andy Murray would always be the bridesmaid, such was the skill and dominance of the Big Three, but the Scot answered his critics with a brutal five-setter against Djokovic.
Murray won the opening two sets but did so both times by tiebreak, perhaps explaining why Djokovic was able to draw level with a 6-2 and 6-3 run.
At two sets apiece, many thought Murray was down for the count but this match of momentum swung back to the Scot in the fifth set. He broke Djokovic twice during a match that set a then-record for the longest US Open final, clocking in at 4 hours and 54 minutes.
Murray, at the fifth time of asking, had won a Slam final.
Murray won 7–6(12–10), 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2
4. Rafael Nadal v Daniil Medvedev – 2019
With Djokovic retiring in the fourth round and Roger Federer losing in the quarters, many thought Nadal was to be the easy winner of the 2019 US Open.
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev had other ideas.
Following a run that saw him beat Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov, Medvedev faced Nadal in the final, having played him just once before, a 6-3, 6-0 defeat in Canada earlier that year.
Nadal went two sets up, suggesting this final was going to be a quick one, but Medvedev regrouped to win the third and fourth, taking both players to the deciding fifth set. With Nadal leading 5-2, Medvedev saved a number of break points before breaking back, putting the score back to 5-4. But after 4 hours and 50 minutes of gruelling tennis, Nadal showed grit under pressure to win.
Nadal won 7–5, 6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4
3. Andre Agassi v Roger Federer – 2005
All eras come to an end and eventually, every player must pass the torch but just as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have found in recent years, the departing veteran does not go without a fight.
Ahead of their meeting Stateside, Federer was coming off the back of a Wimbledon win but the 35-year-old Agassi had the home crowd behind him.
Even losing the first set 6-3 was not a fatal blow for the American legend as he hit back 6-2 in the second before forcing a tie break in the third.
But it was to be Federer who prevailed, winning the fourth set 6-1 to seal the match, as the Swiss secured his second of what would go on to be five US Open titles.
Federer won 6–3, 2–6, 7–6, 6–1
2. Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer – 2007
In 2007, US Open spectators were treated to the first of what would become five slam finals contested between the two iconic players.
While he would go on to surpass Federer and have a winning record against him, in 2007, Djokovic was very much the underdog against the experienced Swiss.
In his first Slam final, the Serbian failed to make the most of his chances, not converting set points in the first and second set and allowing Federer to recover.
Two tie breaks in the first two sets came before a 6-4 win for Federer and the first punch of this rivalry was landed.
Federer won 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–2), 6–4
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1. Federer v Juan Martín del Potro – 2009
The upset of all upsets.
Heading into the 2009 final, a dominant Feder was on a run of five consecutive US Open titles and every sign pointed towards a sixth.
Del Potro had never beaten Federer with the Swiss winning their last six matches, all in straight sets, on a variety of surfaces.
But the first hint of a surprise result came in the semi-finals when Del Potro not only beat Nadal but did so in a commanding fashion. Three sets, all won 6-2, put Del Potro into his first Slam final.
In that final, Federer entered as favourite and a 6-3 score in the first game suggested it would be light work for the Swiss. Instead, Del Porto fought back, winning the next set 7-6 before losing again in the third.
A fourth set win, again via tie break, set up a deciding set but Del Potro’s forehands and brave play broke Federer’s aura of invincibility.
The Argentinian won the final set 6-2, bringing an end to the four-hour macth and becoming the fourth man from his country to win a slam.
Del Potro won 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–2
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