No matter what was said or written about his recent play, Roger Federer knew he had one more chance to salvage a disappointing season. After missed opportunities in the French Open and Wimbledon finals, Federer easily defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 on Monday evening to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Open Championship.

Murray didn’t feel fatigue contributed to his straight set defeat. Instead, he felt his defense stance behind the baseline was no match for Federer’s offensive game. And the final numbers do not lie about his dominance in every facet of this final. Federer accumulated a 36-16 advantage in winning shots, a 7-2 lead in service breaks, and winning a point on 31 of 44 trips to the net.

Murray had less than 24 hours to prepare for the men’s finals after defeating the World’s #1 player Rafael Nadal in a rain-interrupted semifinal that concluded late Sunday afternoon.

Federer became the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920’s to win this tournament five times in a row. He also upped his Grand Slam tally to 13, which puts Federer one behind the men’s record holder Pete Sampras.

Many in the tennis world were surprised by the return of Lindsay Davenport to the WTA tour last year after the birth of her son. Her critics felt she had lost the desire to play professionally, and that her legacy would be tarnished by her ill-fated return.

This couldn’t be further from the truth; Davenport’s comeback has produced two victories in her first year back on tour, and there is no question that she can compete with the world’s top players again. But don’t count out her winning a fourth Grand Slam title. A right knee injury has forced her to default from Wimbledon and the Olympic singles tournament. This was a setback for Davenport, as her comeback was primarily motivated by the opportunity to play in Beijing.

At 32, Davenport is the fifth-oldest woman at the U.S. Open. Her short-term motivation is that she can still walk out on a court and rip a ground stroke as hard as any player competing at Flushing this week. And it is this stroke that will mask Davenport’s lack of lateral quickness. Also, the extra day of rest between rounds will help her recoup the strength needed to advance at the U.S. Open.

She is approaching one match at a time and is downplaying her chances of winning the Open, which makes sense since has only played eight tournaments this season.