Novak goes for No 1, while Serena needs to accept her own failings ... what we learnt from US Open

Djokovic targets top spot

It took a little longer then expected but Novak Djokovic is back to being the dominant force of men’s tennis.

His US Open title victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday was his second successive grand-slam success after winning Wimbledon and puts him up to No 3 in the new world rankings.

The 31-year-old Serb is the first player to win back-toback majors since he achieved the same feat in 2016 [Australian and French Open], and he looks back to the levels that saw him sweep all before him for most of the early part of this decade.

So what next for Djokovic? Reclaiming the world No 1 spot he last held in November 2016 looks a realistic goal, depending on his schedule for the rest of the year.

He is 2,315 points behind current No 1 Rafael Nadal, who is set for a spell on the sidelines after retiring from his US Open semi-final against Del Potro on Friday with a knee injury.

With Roger Federer, the No 2, also struggling for form, the path looks clear for an assault by Djokovic to regain top spot.

There is a lot of tennis still to be played this year, including the Shanghai and Paris Masters, and a lot of ranking points to be won.

Osaka a worthy winner

It is easy to forget, given all the furore over Serena Williams, that Naomi Osaka won her first grand slam at the US Open on Saturday.

The 20 year old became the first Japanese to win a major, prevailing 6-2, 6-4 over Williams. Osaka was superb in defeating Williams, holding her nerve when she could so easily have been distracted by the chaos.

The way she took apart Madison Keys in the semi-finals was just as impressive.

It was not the first time Osaka had beaten Williams. She swept aside her childhood hero in straight sets in Miami in April, so Saturday’s victory should not be considered a fluke. Hopefully, she will get plenty of other chances to enjoy the spotlight and celebrate her own achievements.

Osaka’s success highlights the unpredictability of the women’s game; she is the eighth player to win a major in the past eight tournaments.

With confidence high after her New York triumph, Osaka, now into the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career, will look to follow in Djokovic’s footsteps and win a second slam in succession at next year’s Australian Open.

Williams was second best

When Serena Williams looks back on her US Open final meltdown she will, hopefully, acknowledge most of it was born out of frustration at her own failings.

The American, chasing a record-equaling 24th grand slam title, was, rightly, upset to be penalised for receiving coaching from the stand from Patrick Mouratoglou – something she denied seeing but Mouratoglou admitted to.

But her outbursts at umpire Carlos Ramos should not disguise the fact Williams was second best to Osaka.

Williams said post-match she does not know what the outcome would have been if she had stayed calm and not been penalised. But to most observers Osaka was simply too good for her on the day, just as Angelique Kerber was in the Wimbledon final.

When the backlash subsides – the American was fined of US$17,000 (Dh62,000) on Sunday – and she takes stock, Williams, 37, will know she needs more consistency from her groundstrokes and better movement from the back of the court if she is to equal Margaret Court’s 24 grand slams.