Barely 24 hours earlier many were heard to scoff in almost angry levels when Nikolay Davydenko had the temerity to suggest that a fair percentage of Roger Federer’s victories are simply attributable to luck. After seeing the Swiss gather the 12th grand-slam title of his career and take another step to what now seems the inevitable overhauling of Pete Sampras as the all time gatherer of such of male singles titles, you have to admit that the normally reticent Russian might just have had a point.

Novak Djokovic doesn’t need telling that Federer had absolutely no right to win the first set of the US Open final, was more than a little fortunate to win the second and it was the 20-year-old Serb who had the best chances to take the upper hand in the third only for three break points at love-40 in the fifth game.

However as the record books now indelibly state, the winner’s prize, all $2.4 million of it including a bonus for being the most successful player in the preceding hard court events, went to Federer because he won in straight sets 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

The term choker is a horrible one in tennis and one that really should not be attached to a player who has won through six rounds of best-of-five-sets tennis in the course of less than two weeks, especially when the player concerned is supremely talented, just 20-years-old and playing in his first ever major final.

Nevertheless Djokovic is a world class performer and worthy of playing at the very highest level. Therefore when he lets five set points go to waste in the opening set and another two in the second, the majority of them with errors, it is difficult to find another description.

It was not as though Djokovic was moving into uncharted territory. A month earlier he had beaten Federer in the final of the Canadian Masters Series event in Montreal. Not a grand-slam final it has to be said but certainly one of the second tier of tennis prizes and a match the Swiss most definitely wanted to win. Curiously in that match Federer had six set points go to waste in the opening set and ended up the loser.

Magnanimous as ever in victory, Federer used the word brutal as he admitted a straight sets scoreline was particularly unfair on Djokovic and in no way was a fair illustration of the closeness of the contest.

Of course Djokovic will learn from this experience and because the youngster is an accomplished contestant and a wonderfully precocious talent, brimful of personality and positive attitude, it is reasonable to assume he will not fall into the trap on a permanent basis. The player who just 18 months ago was being spoken of as a possible British import is now established in the game’s elite and hopefully a grand-slam title will soon be coming his way.

The only problem that clouds that assessment is the fact Federer is going to be around for several years yet and, with the single exception of Rafael Nadal, has the ability to intimidate an opponent in the major title deciders. Look what he’s done on a regular basis to top flight performers such as Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick.

Has luck had anything to do with it? Quite possibly has to be the answer. But of course, it is a well known fact; the greatest of great champions make their own luck. And Roger Federer falls very neatly into that category.