The final day of the U.S. Open was an exciting one that proved that perseverance does pay off. Andy Murray, from Great Britain, ended a 76-year drought for a British male Grand Slam singles championship after he demolished Novak Djokovic on Monday.
The Scotsman took four hours and 54 minutes to beat Serbian Djokovic in five sets 7-6(12-10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6 and 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the BBC reported. The championship title is the first for Murray, who has had an impressive summer winning Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal in London.
Murray told the BBC, "When I realized I had won, I was a bit shocked, I was very relieved and I was very emotional."
"They were incredibly tricky conditions," the No. 3-seeded player said. "Novak is so strong, he fights until the end of every match and I don't know how I managed to come through in the end."
Both players faced strong troublesome winds but Murray was able to overcome them slightly better than his No. 2 ranked opponent.
Despite his lose, Djokovic told reporters, "I'm disappointed to lose, but I have it my all. I had a great opponent today. He deserved to win this Grand Slam more than anybody. I would like to congratulate him."
The last time the two faced each other, Murray scored another major win against Djokovic and went on to win the Olympic gold medal.
Following the U.S. Open, the ATP and the WTA released the world rankings for the singles players.
On the women's side, several key players moved in ranking including Maria Sharapova (now ranked No. 2), Agnieszka Radwanska (now ranked No.3), Sara Errani (now ranked No.7) and Samantha Stosur (now ranked No.9). Among the men, no major ranking changes were made, despite No.1-seeded Roger Federer's loss in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
WATCH ANDY MURRAY DISCUSS HIS U.S. OPEN WIN
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