In the final against Stan Wawrinka, who collected his maiden US Open title at Flushing Meadows. World No.1 Novak Djokovic accepted that he became too passive at pivotal segments of the match. This was the 6th time he made it to the final in his seven attempts.

He came up short of the title, though, settling for his fifth runner-up showing at Flushing Meadows because, by his own admission, he got tight at key points - and not because of the physical distress he dealt with down the stretch, including bleeding toes that were treated by a trainer.

"I lost my nerves in the important moments. He kept his cool. I think that's what decided the match," said the defending champion, Djokovic. "I guess sometimes it happens, even though you have the experience and know what to do. Just the heat of the moment and importance of the match, I guess, was too strong for me at certain periods of the match. Just if you lose your cool, the match can go away."

Terrible conversion of the break points," Djokovic added. "Just terrible from my side."

"He has appeared in 21 Grand Slam finals, second in the history of men's tennis only to Roger Federer, but now has a record of 12-9 in those all-on-the-line matchups.