and volleys, Federer broke Murray's serve twice in set one to reach 4-2 and then 6-2.
Set two was more competitive as Murray mixed in winning dropshots and volleys. But Murray's momentum appeared to slow after he rubbed his knee several times between points.
Federer broke Murray's serve to reach 7-5 with a forehand down the line winner on setpoint, which would prove to be a major turning point of the match as Federer yelled “yea” and gave a fist pump as Murray banged his racket into his racket bag on the changeover.
“I knew it would be really hard for Andy to come back,” Federer said.
In the final set Federer raced to a 5-0 lead before some inspired play from Murray drew the set to 5-2. Murray was deflated in the end however as he doublefaulted and netted two groundstrokes to end the match.
“I had a great tournament, Murray said. “I got the better of him the last two times we played. He definitely set the record right today.”
Federer after the match reflected on winning gold in doubles at the Beijing Olympics. “It was so inspiring to me. I used to like playing doubles and now I love it. It gave me a lot of motivation to do well here.”
Federer had not won a hardcourt tournament all year, but with this win he moves within one major win of Pete Sampras' record 14 major titles.
“It definitely feels great. This is a very special grand slam of my career. So to take this one home means the world to me,” Federer said. “There a great bunch of guys behind me and in front of me as well. But I really feel tennis is in a great place right now. We have incredible athletes out there. This week has been incredible for me.”
