Have we borne witness to a seismic shift in the world of men's tennis or is it simply one of those 24 hour periods that defy belief and within a few weeks everything will be as it ever was?

One or either of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has contested the last 11 grand-slam tournaments - not since the Australian Open three years ago, when Marat Safin defeated Lleyton Hewitt and all Australia wept, have we not been privy to the glorious tennis and vibrant personalities of the Swiss and the Spaniard. It is known of this championship that its time in the sporting calendar - at the start of the year when everyone is finding their feet and the course of true tennis does not always run smoothly - makes it susceptible to surprises.

But the No 1 and No 2 players in the world losing in straight sets, in consecutive night sessions, is not so much a surprise as a fully fledged system upheaval. Following Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's rapturous performance over Nadal on Thursday; so Novak Djokovic stepped up to the plate yesterday and wrecked Federer's hope of a 13th major title, winning 7-5, 6-3, 7-6. If Federer followers will tell you that their man had one of his less than exemplary days at the office, let us pay full credit to Djokovic's manly performance.

In the US Open final last year, the Serbian allowed himself to think that he had reached such a time in his career a little too early, that he was not quite good enough to stand in Federer's presence other than to do him homage. And even then, he came mightily close to taking at least one set and if he had done that, we could have seen a very different outcome.

Djokovic has grown an inch in height and has a ton of self belief. He trailed 5-3 in the first set but did not flinch, he led 5-1 in the second and withstood Federer's surge; he saved two set points in the third set to take it into a tie break in which he trailed by a mini break. Nothing Federer did could faze him.

And so Federer cannot overhaul the Pete Sampras record of 14 grand-slam victories this year, unless he suddenly finds his feet on clay at the French Open, which would be a rich irony. The Swiss says that, in being as dominant as he is, he has created a monster - Djokovic joyously slew it yesterday.