Novak Djokovic’s epic five-set victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final was the longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era.

But was the latest Nadal-Djokovic battle the Greatest Match of All Time?

Nadal said he ranks the match — which required 5 hours 53 minutes — alongside the historic 2008 Wimbledon final in which he beat Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, in 4 hours 48 minutes.

“For me it was a little bit more special, the 2008 (Wimbledon final),” Nadal said. “But I really understand that (the Australian final) was a really special match, and probably a match that gonna be in my mind not because I lost, no, because the way that we played.”

There is no definitive criteria for ranking the “Greatest Match of All Time,” but the 1980 Wimbledon final between arch-rivals John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg is always in the conversation. McEnroe saved five match points en route to capturing an epic 18-16 fourth-set tiebreak, but couldn’t break Borg’s serve in the fifth and lost the final set 8-6.

I watched that match at my parents’ home in Crugers, N.Y., along with the 1982 Davis Cup quarterfinal between Sweden and the USA in which McEnroe battled Mats Wilander across 6 hours 22 minutes before prevailing 9–7, 6–2, 15–17, 3–6, 8–6. It was the longest match in Davis Cup history and I recall this about it: my father left our house after the match started, drove to my grandparents’ home in Somerville, N.J., spent a few hours with them, drove home and the match was still going on.

The 2010 first-round Wimbledon match between John Isner and French qualifier Nicolas Mahut was the longest match in tennis history in terms of both time and number of games.

After 11 hours 5 minutes of play across three days, Isner prevailed, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70–68 for a total of 183 games.

So what’s your vote for the Greatest Match of All Time?

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NEW YORK — In the span of a single year, one brilliant, nearly flawless year, Novak Djokovic has completely flipped the script in men’s tennis.

With his 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 victory over Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open final Monday night, Djokovic now sits alone atop the men’s game and has authored perhaps the greatest single season in tennis history.

The 24-year-old Serb is 64-2 on the season, with 10 titles, three Grand Slam singles crowns and six, count ‘em, six, finals victories over Nadal.

“I’m going for it, I’m more aggressive, and I have just a different approach to the semifinals and finals of major events, especially when I’m playing two great champions, Rafa and Roger,” Djokovic said after beating Federer and Nadal in back-to-back matches for his first U.S. Open title and fourth career major. (more…)

NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic punctuated perhaps the greatest single season in the history of tennis by smacking yet another crosscourt winner against Rafael Nadal in the final of the U.S. Open and then getting down on his knees and shouting to the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Top-seeded Djokovic’s 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 victory avenged last year’s loss to No. 2 Nadal in the Open final and makes him just the sixth man in history to win at least three Grand Slam singles events in the same year.

“It really sounds unreal,” said Djokovic, who picked up a total of $2.3 million for winning the Open and finishing second in the Olympus U.S. Open series.

Click here to read the full story at Metro.

NEW YORK — On September 8, 2001, Serena Williams lost the U.S. Open championship to her older sister, Venus, in the inaugural primetime women’s final.

Three days later, the world changed forever when terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center towers.

Ten years later, Serena will return to another U.S. Open final after she completely dismantled Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 1 player in the world, 6-2, 6-4, closing out the match with a forehand winner and then leaping into the air on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

“It really meant a lot to me to come out here as an American and still be in the tournament,” said Williams, who was 19 when the 9/11 attacks took place. (more…)

NEW YORK — Is Novak Djokovic in Rafael Nadal’s head?

So far this year, the answer has been an unequivocal yes.

During his incredible 2011, Djokovic has beaten Nadal in five finals and on three surfaces, including the big stage of the Wimbledon final.

Now the two best players in the world will tangle for the U.S. Open championship on Monday after No. 2 Nadal, the defending champion, downed No. 4 Andy Murray, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Saturday night in the semifinals.

“This year I lost the last five finals against [Djokovic] so this will be the sixth,” Nadal said. “That’s an advantage for him. He’s obviously the favorite for the final. (more…)

NEW YORK – When Novak Djokovic smacked a forehand long to hand Roger Federer a break in the fifth set of their U.S. Open semifinal, the more than 23,000 fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium let loose a huge roar of applause.

Once the undisputed King of the U.S. Open, Federer had been cast as the underdog against the world’s No. 1 player and the crowd was clearly in his corner.

“That the crowd got into it was fantastic,” Federer said. “I think they were really hoping I was going to win today and I felt that. It definitely gave me a lift on top of that.”

Federer held double-match point at 5-3, 40-15 in his ensuing service game and it appeared to everyone in the stadium that the five-time former champion would return to the U.S. Open final after a one-year absence. (more…)

NEW YORK — The last two American men were extinguished from the U.S. Open men’s draw Friday afternoon.

John Isner and Andy Roddick were summarily dismissed by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, respectively, leaving the game’s Big Four standing for Super Saturday’s semifinals.

With men’s tennis at a critical and fascinating juncture in its history, either Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal or Murray will win the 2011 championship.

No Americans. A Serb, a Swiss, a Spaniard and a Scot.

“I think they’re pretty firmly the best players in the world right now,” No. 21 Roddick said after his 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 quarterfinal loss to Nadal was marred by his left calf tightness. “I think they pretty firmly deserve the numbers next to their names right now. They’re playing great.”

“One of the top four guys…is going to win this thing,” four-time U.S. Open champ John McEnroe said before the Open began. (more…)

NEW YORK — A year ago, Roger Federer held double-match point on Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals.

During those moments, Federer admitted he allowed his mind to wander ahead to the thought of playing his arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the final the following day.

Beating Djokovic and Nadal on back-to-back days would have been a tough task for the then-29-year-old Federer and that thought crept into his mind.

“It is true that I did think of the Rafa final and the prospect, you know, trying to get there without maybe losing too much energy,” Federer said after dispatching No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to his eighth straight U.S. Open semifinal. “Maybe that was one of the reasons I was not able to stay tougher in two of the sets I lost, actually.

“Still should have won the match, maybe, but it’s just a tough prospect.”

(more…)

For the fourth year in a row, weather has forced a Monday men’s final at the U.S. Open.

Because rain knocked out play Tuesday and Wednesday, officials changed the schedule and moved the women’s final to Sunday at 4 p.m. from Saturday in primetime and the men’s final to Monday at 4 p.m. instead of Sunday at that hour.

“We revised the schedule for the remainder of the 2011 US Open in an effort to be fair to the players and our ticketholders,” Open tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement. “This is the result of a collaborative effort with the players, CBS Sports and tournament officials to address the issues that arose from the inclement weather earlier this week.”

The remaining two men’s quarterfinals — John Isner-Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal-Andy Roddick — will begin at noon on Friday. (more…)

NEW YORK — Giovanni Auricchio of Brazil found himself high up in the Court 13 stands on a hot and humid Thursday afternoon at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Thanks to Mother Nature and a water bubble issue on the court in Louis Armstrong Stadium, Auricchio got an up-close look as No. 21 Andy Roddick knocked out No. 5 David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in a fourth-round match that set up a quarterfinal showdown Friday with defending champion Rafael Nadal.

“Amazing, amazing,” Auricchio told SNY.tv. “This was supposed to be in [Louis Armstrong] Stadium and having the match here in Court 13 was awesome. You’re so close to the players, you know? So nice.” (more…)