He is not short on confidence either.

"I've been working very hard in the past year and a half, so it's paying off right now," the Serb calmly told reporters after dumping Federer out in Melbourne.

"Obviously, everybody was trying to figure out the way they can win against Roger.

"I knew that I had to believe in myself in the first place, and I had to be positive on the court, not nervous, just to stay with him all the time, and be aggressive. That's what I did."

Djokovic says his emergence is good for the sport.

"I think the dominance of Federer and Nadal ... was just amazing the last couple of years. So I think it's great for ... tennis lovers all around the world, to see something new."

Federer, though, is quick to remind any doubters that he suffered a viral illness before the Open and that his crown as world's best is not in danger.

'I've created a monster'

"I'll definitely reflect on what happened," Federer said after his loss to Djokovic. "You know, considering my illness, I'm sort of happy with the result here.

"Of course, I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament. But semis is still pretty good. I didn't play my best throughout the championships, but it was pretty solid, so it was OK.

"Winning every other week, you know, lose a set and people say I'm playing bad. So it's my own mistake, I guess."

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