NEW YORK — For the second time in his career, Novak Djokovic ends a season with three Grand Slam titles. Unlike in 2011, though, he played in all four major finals this year.
His riveting 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final Sunday night left so little between his three titles and a perfect Grand Slam season — a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final.
On the other hand, unlike Serena Williams, whose pursuit of a calendar-year Grand Slam ended in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic did not have to deal with the mounting pressure of heading to the U.