NEW YORK - His considerable lead, and a chance at history, slipping away, Andy Murray dug deep for stamina and mental strength, outlasting Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set U.S. Open final Monday.
It had been 76 years since a British man won a Grand Slam singles championship and, at least as far as Murray was concerned, it was well worth the wait.
Ending a nation's long drought, and snapping his own four-final skid in majors, Murray finally pulled through with everything at stake on a Grand Slam stage, shaking off wind, defending champion Djokovic's comeback bid and fatigue to win 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
"Novak is so, so strong. He fights until the end in every single match," said Murray, who said his legs felt like "jelly." "I don't know how I managed to come through in the end."
The match was a test of will as much as skill, lasting 4 hours, 54 minutes, tying the record for longest U.S. Open final.
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Yes, Murray already showed he could come up big by winning the gold medal in front of a home crowd at the London Olympics last month. But this was different. This was a Grand Slam tournament, the standard used to measure tennis greatness - and the 287th since Britain's Fred Perry won the 1936 U.S. Open.
By the end, Djokovic - who had won eight consecutive five-set matches - was the one looking fragile, trying to catch breathers and doing deep knee bends at the baseline to stretch his aching groin muscles. After getting broken to trail 5-2 in the fifth, Djokovic had his legs massaged by a trainer.
"I really tried my best," the Serbian said.
When Djokovic sent a forehand long on the final point, Murray crouched and covered his mouth with both hands, as though even he could not believe this moment had arrived.
The 25-year-old Scot removed his sneakers, grimacing with each step as he gingerly stepped across the court. Djokovic congratulated him while "Chariots of Fire" blared over the Arthur Ashe Stadium loudspeakers.
Murray was one of only two men in the professional era, which began in 1968, to have lost his first four Grand Slam finals - to Djokovic in the 2011 Australian Open, and to Roger Federer at the 2008 U.S. Open, the 2010 Australian Open and 2012 Wimbledon.
The other guy who began 0-4? Ivan Lendl, who happens to be Murray's coach nowadays.
Murray's forehand is one of the improvements he's made under the tutelage of Lendl, who sat still for much of the match, showing as much emotion as he ever did during his playing days.
At the post-match ceremony, Murray joked about Lendl's reaction: "I think that was almost a smile."
Murray and Djokovic, both 25, were born a week apart in May 1987 and have faced each other since they were 11. Before Saturday's semifinals, they shared a computer to watch Scotland and Serbia play to a 0-0 draw in a qualifying match for soccer's World Cup.
Monday's first-set tiebreaker's 22 points set a tournament mark. Murray and Djokovic repeatedly produced fantastic, tales-in-themselves points, lasting 10, 20, 30, even 55 - yes, 55! - strokes, counting the serve.
When the momentum shifted to Djokovic in the fourth set, Murray screamed, "Jelly!" about his legs, and soon "jelly" was trending on Twitter.
The crowd gave a standing ovation to salute one majestic, 30-stroke point in the fourth set that ended with Murray's forehand winner as Djokovic fell to the court.
Djokovic won the fourth set, but Murray was determined not to become the first player to blow a two-set lead in a U.S. Open title match since 1949.
"I want to congratulate Andy for his first Grand Slam," Djokovic said. "He absolutely deserves it."
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