"Aye, you've had a terrible year". That was the gist of Andy Murray's parting shot to Roger Federer as the Swiss claimed his fifth consecutive US Open crown and his 13th grand slam trophy, just one away from matching Pete Sampras's record tally.

The Scot, the 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 loser to the mighty Federer in the Flushing Meadows final, had his tongue in his cheek as he spoke. Not only does he have great respect for the champion and aspire to be as good the Swiss one day (soon, he hopes), but he is also friends with the great man. Murray was only joking.

For all that the Swiss had been stripped of his Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, for all that he had been usurped by Rafael Nadal as the world No1, Federer was back to his best to claim the honours in New York. Whatever his critics said, whatever the pundits and the soothsayers foretold (and it was mainly along the lines of 'Federer is on the slide'), the man bidding for the role as the 'greatest ever' was back in business as he won at a canter.

Murray knew it and was the first to acknowledge it. "It doesn't matter what anyone else says, you've had a great year," Murray said, joking aside, as he patted Federer on the shoulder and took his straight sets beating on the chin. One grand slam title, two grand slam finals and one grand slam semi final – as lousy years go, any player would trade his right arm for a run like that.

As the US Open drew to a close, there was a distinct feeling that the old guard were not ready to hang up their racquets. The new stars of the game had had their moment but the true champions were still very much in charge, especially when Serena Williams reasserted herself as the force to be reckoned with in women's tennis.

By beating Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 she won her ninth major title and reclaimed the No.1 ranking, a position she had not held since 2003. Once the final point was over, Williams leapt for joy and bounced around the court like a rabbit in a carrot field. The victory meant the everything to her and she was, at last, back where she always knew she belonged – on top of the world. It even made up for her loss to her sister in the Wimbledon final.

"I don't even remember match point," she said. "I just remember I won and I was so excited, I just knew that I had to go for it. Magical. It was just magical. It was everything coming together, like magic.

"It definitely makes up for the Wimbledon loss. Obviously I wanted to win Wimbledon but, at the same time, I'm excited – and I was excited that Venus won, as well. It's like at least we both got to the pinnacle of our games [in the Wimbledon final and we both, at least, made the finals and we both won doubles. That was really cool."

So, the lesson learned is that you cannot trust the pundits but you had better keep an eye on the talent.

To see Federer felled at Wimbledon and then beaten by James Blake at the Olympics in the quarter finals was like watching the end of a dream. The majestic Swiss had swept all before him since 2003 until this year and then, in the space of a couple of months at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, he had been made to look human. Worse still, he had been made to look frail, fragile and forlorn.

His epic encounter with Nadal in the final at Wimbledon, completed in near-darkness, had been the last nail in his coffin. Or so we thought. If he cannot win on grass, where can he win again? Er, actually, at the Olympics – and in doubles. Never before had anyone seen "The Fed" so fired up, so emotional and so delighted to win as in Beijing. Capturing the gold medal with Stanislas Wawrinka, he headed for New York like a new man.

Once there, he ploughed through the field – sometimes easily, sometimes with a bit of a sweat – until he arrived at Igor Andreev in the fourth round. Taken to five sets, he survived and suddenly felt like himself again. The lingering effects of the glandular fever at the start of the year were finally banished and Federer was back and ready for anything thrown in his path.

But let's return to the final.

Sitting in the middle of the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, Judy Murray could afford to smile. It was her birthday and she was watching her youngest son play in his first grand slam final. Five days before, she had watched her eldest son play in a grand slam final, too. And not many mothers can lay claim to such a family achievement.

Andy had come to the Big Apple with big hopes. He had won his first Masters Series trophy in Cincinnati just a matter of weeks before, he had raised his world ranking to No6 and he was one of the four men tipped for success at the Open. He had come to win and there were no two ways about it.

Rafael Nadal, pitched in Murray's half of the draw, was on a seemingly unstoppable roll having won the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal. He had also overtaken Federer at the top of the rankings. He was clearly the best player of the year and by winning the Wimbledon crown, he had reversed the balance of power at the top of the game.

Meanwhile Novak Djokovic was lurking in Federer's half of the draw. He had given Federer a torrid time in the US Open final last year and having won the Australian Open in January, he fancied his chances of taking the title in Flushing Meadows this time around.

The "Big Three", then, were the experienced campaigners. All of them knew the pressures of playing through a grand slam event while Murray admitted that he still had to prove to himself that he had the mental and physical stamina to last the distance of seven matches played over the best of five sets. Yet when his moment came, Murray played with a maturity far beyond his years and experience. Calm, controlled and professional as every milestone was passed, he marched to the final and got better with every round, beating Nadal in a rain delayed semi final and going on to make Federer sweat in spells during the final.

Federer was at his brilliant best at times during the final. He played like the Federer of old as he pummelled Murray with that deadly forehand, chased the Scot into corners from the net and punished any error with aggression and authority. In that sort of form and that sort of mood, it is hard to imagine that anyone could have stopped the champion from winning again.

For Murray, losing was a disappointment but it was also a sign of what is to come. The "Big Three" had now become the "Gang of Four" and the Scot now knew he could win a grand slam title – and sooner rather than later.

"I think beating Nadal was probably the biggest achievement for me," he said, "especially in such a big match and with what happened with the rain and being down in the fourth set as well. I just think that was mentally huge for me."

Federer, too, recognised that Murray was now one of main men on the tour. To have won his fifth US Open meant the world to him, but the manner of his victory meant more. When he needed it most, the old style, panache and power had returned to his game and he was delighted.

"I played great," he said in that straight forward way of his. "I felt like I was invincible for a while again, and that's exactly how you sort of want to finish a tournament.

"I always thought Andy was a big match player. Give him the biggest court in the world, he will have no problem handling it."

Jamie Murray has many several options when it comes to winning grand slam titles, too. As one of the world's leading doubles players, he can also turn his attention to the mixed event and, together with Liezel Huber, he stormed through to the final. In the end Leander Paes and Cara Black just got the better of the Scots-American team, but Murray and Huber are turning into a formidable grand slam unit.

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