Despite not having the crowd behind him, World number one, Novak Djokovic, put on a brave display early Monday morning to beat five-time champion, Roger Federer, 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 to win the 2015 US Open men’s title.

The top two seeded players had to wait for as much as three hours before taking to the court due to the heavy rain in New York, and it was Djokovic who had the last laugh in the keenly contested final.

Thwarting Federer with his relentless defense and unparalleled returning, Djokovic took control late and held on for the 3-1 set victory to earn his second U.S. Open title, third major championship of the year and 10th Grand Slam trophy in all.

The Serb confessed that it was by no means easy wining against a tough opponent like Federer as well as an unsupportive crowd.

“We pushed each other to the limit,” Djokovic told reporters after the frenetic final, “as we always do.”

Federer ended up with 54 unforced errors, 17 more than Djokovic.

Djokovic also said he understood why the crowd backed Federer but hoped to someday get that sort of support.

“You do let sometimes certain things to distract you,” Djokovic said about interacting with the fans. “But it’s important to get back on the course and go back to basics and why you are there and what you need to do.”