Read what Martin Samuel had to say about the ATP's decision to clear Nikolay Davydenko of fixing his match against Martin Vassallo Arguello

Roger Federer still had over 80 floors to ascend to the Empire State Building's famed observation deck, but the US Open champion did not need the elevator to make it there. He could quite easily have floated. The Net Post preferred to let Federer go it alone the rest of the way - the building was shrouded in cloud, it was stiflingly humid and the opportunity for a chat on the third floor was perfectly satisfactory, thanks all the same.

This was the morning after the Swiss had become a grand-slam champion for the 13th time and he was in particularly effusive mood, probably as relaxed as one could ever remember him and with plenty of good reason. Much of his tennis against Andy Murray in the final had been as near to perfect as he could have wished for. He said that at times, he could feel his old invincibility oozing back. Which quite possibly offers men's tennis the finest end of season for years - and certainly the most keenly anticipated new season this century. "There are still so many emotional events for me to play," Federer said.

Spain's Rafael Nadal, having won the French Open, Wimbledon, Olympic Games and sundry others tournaments will remain No 1 for the rest of the season unless something miraculous happens (and it has been a year of miracles). Though he lost in the semi-finals of the Open to Murray in what was the Scot's proudest moment of an illustrious fortnight, Nadal actually increased his lead over Federer from 770 ranking points to 1,070. Nadal was dropping 150 points from last year's fourth round finish and added 450 points by reaching the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Federer defended his winner's points (1,000) from last year. Between now and the end of the year, Federer has 1,325 points to defend while Nadal has 675 points to come off.

Federer has won his 13th grand slam at 27, he is in keen pursuit of the 14th that would equal Pete Sampras's record and the Open victory has stirred his passions. Novak Djokovic wants to make certain that he is not remembered simply as a one-half-of-the-season wonder - his Australian Open victory remains vivid, as do his triumphs at the Indian Wells and Rome Masters, proving he is a man for all surfaces. And, of course, there is Murray, a grand-slam finalist, a Masters champion, up to No 4 in the world, who twice beat Djokovic in the summer, defeated Nadal for the first time and has chewed up eight of the top ten this year. Nikolay Davydenko is going to be a refreshed man after his match-fixing exoneration. The battle will be joined.

One asked Federer about his low points of 2008. "I've been trying to think of one but every time I hit what might be considered a low, I won a title," he said. "The Estoril event came after Miami where I'd lost to Andy [Roddick], I suffered a really tough loss in the French final and won Halle, my next tournament, and after the disappointment of Wimbledon and the hard court season in America, I went to Beijing and won the doubles gold and now the Open. I didn't get down on myself after the Australian Open, or in Dubai because I knew that a lot of it had to do with the sickness [glandular fever] and so I had done pretty well in the circumstances. At each of the grand slams, I really did well."

Ought perhaps he to have rested after Wimbledon and not gone straight to the American hard courts? "I had to go and play," he responded, "otherwise I would simply have been giving up my No 1 ranking [to Rafael Nadal] without a fight and I couldn't do that. I also wanted to get practice in there to prepare for the Olympic Games, which were also on hard courts. There were times this year when I wasn't as in control of my schedule as I wanted to be and that could explain the more losses than usual. If this year has been good, or great, or super, it doesn't matter really."

And what of those former champions, Bjorn Borg included, who said that they thought he would win Roland Garros for the first time and then, the minute he was humbled by Nadal in the final, suggested he would never win another slam? "I was shocked to be honest," he said. "Some of the things that were said were a bit extreme. I try not to read the press at the grand slams because you are never quite sure who has said what and in what circumstances and I only discover what people have said when you tell me. I remember Borg saying I should retire one minute and then saying I could go on until I was 35. Maybe he said I should retire because he retired at 26, but I didn't take it very seriously.

"Now I have so many dreams to chase - the French Open, an Olympic singles gold medal in London in 2012, the Davis Cup for Switzerland, but the most important thing is I have to enjoy it. It should not be an obsession, a crazy approach. If I'm in the mood to play only ten or 15 tournaments, I'll do that but at the moment I'm happy playing 15 to 20. I believe I can do this as long as I'm healthy and I will believe as long as my tennis days [continue] that I can win a grand slam. If it's not the case I will probably retire. But I believe that for a very long time to come, I still believe I will win Wimbledon, I still believe I will win the US Open and I still believe I will win the French Open, I truly think it should not be a problem having a shot there because I am such a good all rounder."

And a very good egg.

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US Open Postscript (1). Here are the Net Post's five favourite exchanges from the interview room at Flushing Meadows.