Andy Murray beat defending champion Novak Djokovic in five sets to win the US Open, becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam tennis event in 76 years.
Murray, 25, the No. 3 seed from Scotland, topped second- seeded Djokovic 7-6 (12-10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in a four-hour, 54-minute match at the National Tennis Center in New York that was delayed a day because of rain. It was the fifth straight US Open men’s final pushed to a Monday conclusion because of weather.
Murray earned $1.9 million for the win in Arthur Ashe Stadium, bringing his career prize money to more than $23 million. Djokovic earned $950,000 and a $500,000 bonus for having won the US Open Series.
Djokovic, 25, was the 2-5 favourite at the Las Vegas Hotel’s Super Book, translating to a 71 percent probability of a sixth major title for the Serbian. A successful $100 bet on underdog Murray yielded a $210 profit.
It was the first win for a British man at a major tennis tournament since Fred Perry won the U.S. National Championship -? the predecessor to the US Open – in 1936. Perry won 10 majors in all from 1933-36.
The win also broke a stranglehold on major titles by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, who combined to win 29 of the previous 30. Juan Martin Del Potro’s 2009 US Open victory was the lone exception.
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