Andy Murray became Roger Federer’s fifth different victim in a US Open final last night, his dream of a first grand-slam title shattered but his future position in the game’s hierarchy secure. Murray was beaten 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 by the world No 2, who asked that his year be judged after this championship. The verdict must be that he remains a tennis genius.

“I had a great tournament but came up against the best player to play the game today,” Murray said. “After my two wins against him, he set the record straight. I know I have a lot of improving to do if I’m going to win one of these tournaments. Playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium has been the best time of my life.

“My goal was to try to win the tournament but Federer played great today, he missed very few balls and didn’t give me any chances. I’m disappointed right now — I served pretty poorly, I wish I could have done a few things better, but I’m sure after a few days when everything sinks in, it’s been a very good couple of weeks.

“I had pretty much all the chances in the second set until I was broken at 5-6 but I just couldn’t take them. I’m going to have to work very hard to win one of these tournaments but there are so many things I can improve on, that has to be good for me. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he [Federer] overtakes [Pete] Sampras, he must have four or five good years left. I have an enormous respect for him.”

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Murray is not your polite public schoolboy. He’s a ferocious stand up and be counted Scot

Simon Barnes

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Murray also had the consolation of a $1 million (about £568,000) cheque. “That’s about £10, isn’t it?” Murray said. “No, that’s more money than I can ever imagine.”

Though he would never point to having to complete his semi-final against Rafael Nadal more than 24 hours after Federer defeated Novak Djokovic to secure a place in his seventeenth grand-slam tournament final, the arrival of Tropical Storm Hanna on Saturday contrived against the British No 1. This was Murray’s first such occasion; the first of many, surely.

With his victory, Federer is one short of equalling Pete Sampras’s record of 14 grand-slam titles. What price he will break the mark at Wimbledon next year? “This means the world to me, thank you,” Federer said. “I’m not going to stop at 13 am I, that would be terrible.”

For Murray, this was an astonishing introduction to the highest levels of the sport, a place where he had seemed destined the first time he raised a racket over his head. He senses that these occasions are made for him. Once you get the taste of these spectacular moments in your career, you want to experience them again and again.

That has been Federer’s story. Before Wimbledon two months ago, he asked for the critics to desist, to wait until the year was over before judging him completely. With this win, much will be forgiven and forgotten. He has won a grand-slam event — perhaps the toughest of all — been to two finals and the semi-finals of the Australian Open. That ought to be enough to be going on with, even if this was only his third tournament success of the season.

Murray, 21, continues to come of age. Who would have suspected that four years after lifting the junior title here, the Scot would have moved so dramatically through the rankings, enough to be a contender. Don King, the boxing promoter, who had been brought in to build up the Federer-Nadal rivalry and expound the virtues of the “Grapple in the Apple”, was moved to pay homage to Murray last night. “This kid from Scotland, he’s the real deal,” King said.

And so he is. He may have come up short last night, but there is no discredit in that. The title will be Murray’s one day. But not just yet.