THE FALL OF FEDERER

Novak Djokovic shows Roger Federer the exit door at the Australian Open semifinals, that too in straight sets. The harbinger of a change of guard in men's tennis or a slight blip in the path of a genius? Does this mark the beginning of the end of the Federer stranglehold over men's tennis?

Federer has dominated and enchanted the past few years with the game of a chameleon, with his genius adapting with supreme ease to opponents and surfaces. The likes of Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick have been reduced to rubble, with Federer making short work of them match after match. Marat Safin once showed Federer is not invincible (Australian Open 2005 semifinal), but the Russian has been too busy battling his inner demons and injuries. Clay court supremo Rafael Nadal has shown repeatedly that he can give Federer a tough fight outside the comfort zone of clay, but the Spaniard is a one-dimensional player.

I first noticed Novak Djokovic last year at the US Open, where he took on Federer in the final. The 20-year old Serb had a booming serve and oddles of power, reminding me of his countryman Slobodan Zivojinovic of the 1980s (1986 Wimbledon semifinalist). He had come into the US Open fresh from stunning Federer to clinch the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Djokovic lost in straight sets (7-6, 7-6, 6-4), but in the first two sets Djokovic stretched Federer to a tiebreak. The youngster had his chances to put it past Federer, but the big match temperament was missing.

Djokovic had arrived though, becoming the first Serbian to reach a Grand Slam final. Come January, Federer was to realise the power of the Serbian brigade. Round three of the Australian Open, Janko Tipsarevic came perilously close to packing off Federer.

A small blot in the copybook, or so it seemed, when I switched on the television to catch up on the Djokovic-Federer semifinal. And my eyes literally popped out on seeing the scores. Federer was two sets down, struggling to survive. The world number one was clearly not at his best, with one sublime passing shot followed by two unforced errors. The third set was still evenly fought, with Federer unwilling to surrender. But the Djokovic of January had the nerves to match his shots, when confronted with 'set point Federer'. Unlike the US Open, Djokovic's booming serve saved him when the chips were down.

Federer still remains peerless but there is nothing like a big defeat to give a fresh impetus to others. The 1986 World Open in squash saw the end of Jahangir Khan's five-year unbeaten run, which covered over 500 consecutive wins. New Zealander Ross Norman's upset triumph opened the floodgates, and a year later Jansher Khan had become a constant thorn in Jahangir's flesh.

So will Djokovic go the Jansher way or remain a one-title wonder like Ross Norman? In tennis, there is the case of the 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, who dismissed a Pete Sampras in his prime in the quarterfinals in straight sets. But the talented Dutchman simply faded out, never living up to his billing as a potential challenger to the Sampras throne.

Federer is closing on Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, with 12 slams already. But it is better for the game if Federer is made to sweat it out for those titles. Whether it is Federer vs Nadal or Federer vs Djokovic tennis needs rivalries. A genius casting his spell across the court may be a pleasure to watch, but the game needs rivals up to the challenge. Rivals who can force Federer to push the envelope further.

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