Federer beats Murray for 5th US Open, 13th major

"Seeing him play like that made me very, very happy for him," said Federer's part-time coach, Jose Higueras, "because he's a great champion and he's gone through some rough times."

Murray - whose ATP ranking rises to No. 4 - stood about 10 feet (3 meters) behind the baseline to return serves, exactly the way he did against Nadal in their two-day, rain-interrupted semifinal. And Murray displayed flashes of the defense he used against Nadal, including one pretty flick of a lob by Federer with his back to the net.

But Federer, who might have benefited from an extra day to rest because his semifinal wasn't affected by Tropical Storm Hanna, was simply too much for Murray.

At only one juncture did Murray throw a scare into Federer, taking 11 of 12 points to go from 2-0 down in the second set to 2-all and love-40 on Federer's serve.

Federer saved the first break point, and on the second, a 14-stroke rally ended with Murray missing a backhand. TV replays, though, showed one of Federer's shots should have been called out - and had it been, Murray would have led 3-2.

"Not necessarily would have won the match or anything, but it would have given me a bit of confidence," Murray said.

But there was no call there, and no reprieve, because Federer stayed steady and held serve.

"That was key," Federer said. "After that, I began to play freely, the way I usually do."

In the next game, Murray began clutching at his right knee and looking up at his substantial support group in the stands, a gathering that included his mother, two coaches and two trainers.

Murray, though, said the knee had no bearing on the outcome.

"He made very few mistakes," Murray said. "The times I played him before, he had given me a few free points."

Federer closed the second set on a 10-stroke point. First, Federer extended the point with some superb court coverage, and then - shifting from defense to offense in a blink - he ended it with a forehand passing winner.

When Federer broke serve for the seventh time, ending the match, he rolled around with glee on the blue court. Instead of heading into the offseason wondering what went wrong, he can look ahead with optimism.

When the men met at the net, Murray felt compelled to share a thought with Federer.

"I told him that he had, you know, a phenomenal year," Murray said, "regardless of what anyone said."