Novak Djokovic will be spurred on by the conviction his best days are still ahead of him as he comes to terms with losing another grand slam final.

The Serbian has been phenomenally consistent at the slams, reaching 14 consecutive semi-finals and the final at 10 of the last 13 major tournaments.

But, having won five of his first seven finals, he has now lost four of the last five, with Rafael Nadal confirming he is now the best player in the world with a 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1 victory at the US Open.

Asked how he can recover, Djokovic said with a smile: “I have to.

“It’s part of my life. Many times you fall as an athlete and you have to learn the lesson and keep on going, keep on fighting, keep on improving.

“That’s what we are here for. I’m still 26, and I believe the best time for my career is about to come.

“As long as I believe it, the fire of the love towards the game is inside of me. And as long as that’s present, as long as I feel it, I’m going to play this sport with all my heart, as I did in the last 10 years.”

The Serbian has not won a title since April, but he added: “I was playing well throughout the whole two weeks and I can be happy because it was different from the hard-court tournaments prior to the US Open.”