Novak Djokovic beats Juan Martin Del Potro in the US Open final to win his 14th Grand Slam title

Djokovic is now joint third with Pete Sampras on the all-time list of male Grand Slam winners and, after following up his Wimbledon triumph two months ago, is closing in once more on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

With his two-year physical and mental dip apparently firmly behind him, questions will again be posed as to whether he can catch Nadal on 17 or even Federer's 20.

After all the drama this tournament has created, capped by Saturday's extraordinary women's final, the headlines here were all made for the right reasons as Djokovic triumphed 6-3 7-6 (7/4) 6-3.

Djokovic said: "I was hoping he was going to be here. I want to say, 'Pete I love you, you're my idol'.

"When I had the surgery on my elbow I could truly understand what Juan Martin was going through. Difficult times but you learn from adversity. You learn when you're down, when you have doubtful moments. I tried to take the best out of myself in those moments and get myself in this position."

Del Potro sobbed on his chair before taking to the podium and, addressing his noisy fans, said: "It's not easy to speak right now but I love you guys.

"I'm so happy to be playing the final against this magnificent idol. Of course I'm sad because I lose but I'm happy for Novak, you deserved to win."

Del Potro said he was most proud of not giving up in pursuit of another grand slam final, adding: "I got it after nine years, which is amazing to me because the US Open is my favourite tournament and I'm proud of that."

Del Potro was the sentimental favourite as he attempted to win a second slam title nine years after his first, having suffered two serious wrist injuries, the second of which he feared would end his career.

He was clearly the crowd favourite and his loyal band of childhood friends from his home town of Tandil led the 20,000-plus fans packed under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium in repeated choruses of 'Ole, ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo'.

But Del Potro needed more than just goodwill to beat Djokovic at his best, he needed his mighty forehand to be flawless and the rest of his game to back it up.

This was not that day, although even at his absolute best he would have struggled to hold off Djokovic on this form.

The Serbian, who had won 14 of their previous 18 meetings, looked to be in total control at a set and 3-1 up but Del Potro began to really unleash on his forehand and the match came alive.

A combination of pressure from the other end of the court and the crowd being against him - British umpire Alison Hughes had to repeatedly ask for quiet as Djokovic prepared to serve - rattled the sixth seed and he threw up two cheap mistakes to hand the break back.

Had Del Potro managed to get across the line in the 20-minute Djokovic service game that followed to lead 5-3, things might have played out differently, but Djokovic hung on.

It was the sort of titanic game for which grand slam finals are made - both men whipping up the crowd, Del Potro trying to take control with his forehand and Djokovic repelling him.

The protagonists seemed a little spent when it finally ended and settled for the tie-break, where Del Potro led 3-1 but paid for missed forehands as Djokovic claimed six of the next seven points to end a 95-minute set.

Djokovic had only won two of his previous seven finals at Flushing Meadows, losing to four different players, but his sole loss from two sets up at a grand slam came eight years ago so Del Potro's chances of mounting a miracle recovery appeared slim.

Even more so when Djokovic broke to lead 3-1 in the third set, only for his poise to desert him a little again and allow Del Potro to hit straight back. On break point, Hughes awarded a time violation against Djokovic, much to the Serbian's annoyance.

But he took the argument no further, and promptly broke Del Potro again before clinching victory with a smash and dropping to the court in celebration.

Djokovic climbed into the stands to celebrate joyfully with his support team while Del Potro sat in his chair and sobbed.

Djokovic will climb above his opponent to third in the rankings and has a chance to finish the year back at number one - a remarkable feat considering the manner in which he began the season.

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