WATCH: Tearful Andy Murray Earns the Respect of Roger Federer

Here in 2009, Federer cried uncontrollably after losing to Rafael Nadal, and the images went around the world - as did Murray's on Sunday night as a packed Rod Laver Arena responded warmly to the Scot's speech of touching self-deprecation. "I can cry like Roger," he said. "It's just a shame I can't play like him ... I'm done ... sorry."

Murray will go away, rest, then examine the good and not-so-good points of a highly-charged final.

The significant plus is the respect of the best player in the world. Federer, who now owns 16 slam titles, said of his own continued excellence: "That's thanks to guys like Murray. They've made me a better player, because I think this has been one of my finest performances in a long time, or maybe forever.

"[Murray] is a wonderful mover, tactician, great backhand. He has got everything you need to beat the best and to win big tournaments. He's extremely strong in his mind and I just feel like he's got the game to [win a slam]. The question is when."

Preferably not on his watch, was the unspoken observation.

The downside was Federer's post-match view that Murray was still "a bit passive". He did not capitalise on chances at key moments, especially after breaking Federer in the third set and again in an agonisingly long tie-break.

Federer won 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) and Murray, despite a decent start and a rousing finish, was rarely able to stem either the power or the ingenuity of the Swiss's near-perfect game.

He did not, however, feel weighed down by the expectations in Britain to end the 74-year drought since Fred Perry's last grand slam win, and said: "Once you get on the court, it's not what you're thinking about. At all. I would liked to have done it for everyone back home, won the tournament, obviously for myself and for the people I work with as well. But it wasn't to be.

"I had chances in the first set. I had maybe three chances to go up a break at 2-2. He started to play a lot better after that in the second set. In the third set, I had more of the chances. I thought I deserved to take it into a fourth, but it didn't happen."

He said he cried because he had come so close to extending the match. "It was a complete blowout. If I had lost three, four and two, it probably wouldn't have happened. That was why I was upset."

Federer, who plans to play for several years yet, also beat Murray in straight sets in the Scot's first major final, the US Open in 2008.

"Tonight's match was a lot closer than the one at Flushing Meadows," Murray said. "I'm getting closer [to Federer]. I just spoke to my mum. To have the opportunity to play in these tournaments, in these matches, is pretty incredible in the grand scheme of things."

And Murray is still definitely in the grand scheme of things.