Tim Clement looks at where Novak Djokovic goes now after landing his third Grand Slam of the season.
A third Grand Slam of the year may have propelled Djokovic in to the record books, but there's plenty more history to be written by the game's new dominant force.
So, after racking up three Grand Slams and a record five Masters titles with just two defeats in 2011, the question proceeds to how Novak Djokovic can follow it all up?
The short-term answer is pretty simple, a hell of a lot of sleep and plenty of deserved smugness.
But as the Serb pointed out in his post-US Open winning press conference, there is still plenty for him to achieve as long as the love for the game continues to burn bright in his heart.
"There are still a lot of things to prove to myself and to the tennis world," said the Serb. "I still want to win many more events, many more major events."
While Venus and Serena Williams flittered in and out of love with the game they dominated in a similar way amid little competition, Djokovic is doing something far more remarkable in destroying all in his path amid a golden era of men's tennis.
In securing his first title at Flushing Meadows, the 24-year-old conquered two of the all-time greats of the game desperate to prove they are still in the league as the world number one.
Firstly, Djokovic overcame the ultimate test of mental toughness in battling back from two sets and then two match points down to avenge his French Open semi-final defeat to five-time US Open winner Roger Federer.
Raging bull
Then came the raging bull, a Rafael Nadal utterly determined to fight for every point and gain a measure of revenge for a year of suffering against the Serb.
But five final wins over Nadal became six as he tamed a brutal fightback, which saw the Spaniard claw back a set in a breath-taking third, arguably the set of the year, to win in four.
That means Djokovic has now taken the Spaniard's world one ranking, two of his clay court titles and two Grand Slams - two is not a number the world's numero dos is enjoying right now.
That leaves, with exception the Monte Carlo masters which Djokovic sat out, Nadal clinging on to just the French Open title as evidence of a degree of superiority over the rest of the tour.
Having become only the sixth player in the open era to win three Grand Slams in a single year, the Serb has predictably now set his sights on a career Grand Slam - which means triumphing on the Spaniard's turf and winning the French Open.
Clay conqueror
Despite Djokovic's dominance this year, the 'King of Clay' remains the 8/11 favourite to triumph at Roland Garros for a seventh time, while the world number one is 13/8 in what Sky Bet deem a straight up two horse race.
If he can triumph there and retain the Australian Open title, for which he's 7/4 to do so, then talk of becoming the first man since Rod Laver to complete the career Slam will undoubtedly gather pace.
Sky Bet's Grand Slam specials offer 40/1 for the Serb to be only the second man in the open era to complete the remarkable feat and 7/1 for him to win three Grand Slam titles again.
The online bookmaker have also opened betting on Nadal gaining revenge on the man who stole his spot at the top of the rankings, offering 13/8 on the Spaniard triumphing in a Grand Slam match bet and 40/1 to dump the Serb out of all four Majors.
But all of that can wait as Djokovic enjoys a well-earned rest before preparing for the final two Masters events of the year and then the ATP Tour Finals, which begins on November 11, for which he is, yes you guessed it, the favourite.
From there 2012 presents the chance for Djokovic to continue to eat away at the gap between himself and Nadal and Federer, who boast 10 and 16 respectively, in the Grand Slam titles count, with some way to go following a relatively modest fourth claimed in New York.
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