Rain forces US Open into an extra day for third successive year

The match was due to begin at 4:30pm local time yesterday but the players never made it onto the court, with rain forcing an extra day's play for the third year in succession. The men's final will now take place this evening, with a start time of not before 9pm BST.

The delay will be good news for Djokovic's hopes of winning a second Grand Slam title following his exertions on Saturday.

Djokovic saved two match points before beating Roger Federer in five sets in their semi-final, a match which lasted three hours and 44 minutes and took place after Nadal had seen off Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets in two hours 13 minutes.

Told rain was forecast for yesterday, Djokovic laughed and said: "Really? I don't know the rituals to invite the rain but an extra day would be great actually.

"I am tired, there's no secret about that. For four sets I was quite okay but the fifth set was very intensive mentally and physically and took a lot out of me. But in the end it's a remarkable win and I'm sure I will find the strength to give my best on the court."

Andy Roddick in 2003 is the last man to have played a five-set semi-final and gone on to win the title, while the last US Open champion to have played the second semi-final on 'Super Saturday' was Federer in 2007.

Nadal is looking to become only the seventh man in history to complete the career Grand Slam and the first since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in succession.

The world No 1 could also become the first man since 1960 to win the US Open without dropping a set if he can beat Djokovic in straight sets. However, although Djokovic trails Nadal 14-7 overall in their career head-to-head, the Serbian has won their last three meetings and has a 7-3 win-loss record on hard courts against the left-hander.

Djokovic prevented what would have been the eighth Grand Slam championship match between tennis' top two men - Nadal and Federer - and the first such showdown at Flushing Meadows - by coming back to stun the Swiss 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.

"They all pretty much feel the same. They feel somewhat empty at the end, because you have tried everything - and maybe it was luck. Maybe it was he played well. Maybe you didn't pick the right shot. Maybe he did," said Federer, who had won 45 of his previous 46 matches at the US Open, reaching six consecutive finals. "You feel like you left something out there if you lose a match having had match point," Federer added."It wasn't a final, so I'm not as disappointed if it would have been a final."

For Federer, Saturday's setback came after losses in the quarter-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, and he closes the 2010 Grand Slam season having played in one major final - the first year since 2003 that he hasn't reached at least two.

Federer's loss to Djokovic was by far the day's best match, much more entertaining than the men's semi-final that preceded it and the women's final that came after.

Nadal dominated with his serve again, holding 13 of 14 times against the outclassed Russian.