With Djokovic taking the rest of the season off and Andy Murray pulling out for what seems to be the rest of the year, the favourites were very much Federer and Nadal for the title.
Nadal, who having taken the French Open earlier in the season, was chasing his old rival for no.1 spot, with Federer taking Wimbledon and Australia at the start of the year.
When Federer was beaten in the quarter-finals by Argentine player, Juan Martin Del Potro, the path opened up for Nadal to take the title.
Flushing Meadow witnessed a rutheless performance by the Spaniard as he despatched Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to claim his 16th grand slam title.
The South African, who has worked relentlessly to overcome bad injuries, had no answers to Nadal, who was playing his final match, under the coaching of his Uncle Toni.
Nadal, who started the year, with a heartbreaking 5 set defeat to Federer in Melbourne, but then went on to win in Monte Carlo, Paris, New York and is back to no.1 in the world rankings said “It’s just unbelievable what happened this year,” admitted the 2010 and 2013 champion.
