The dismantling of Federer shows the chasm in class between Djokovic and the rest is getting BIGGER

Roger Federer tried. He tried so hard. For one hour he tried to execute all he had planned, devised and drawn up in the days before the big match. He snapped forehands as early as possible, he sprinted down to the net, and he did everything he could do to match the powers of Novak Djokovic in their semi-final on Thursday.

But the evidence is mounting and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Novak Djokovic simply cannot be matched. During these big encounters, Djokovic’s game normally rests on confounding opponents and presenting so many different ways he can beat them that they run in fear. But during the golden first two sets, his intentions were so clear. All he wanted was everything: to be everywhere, to reach every ball, to ensure that every point was dictated by his own will.

And so every time Federer swept to the net, Djokovic was there to send the ball flying back past him before his reflexes kicked in. Every time he crushed forehands, the next flew back with more depth and penetration. And when he did nothing, Djokovic smothered him with power, accuracy and violent aggression.

Though Djokovic couldn’t maintain his ballistic level across three sets, the significance of Djokovic’s win over Federer is told far beyond the margins of this one match. For one, it was the statement to end all statements. Four weeks ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the final of Doha with their head to head record dead even; he moved into the lead in their list of personal battles with a victory so destructive that many proclaimed it the best level of tennis they had seen.

For two sets against Federer, the context was the same and the first two sets were identical. He didn’t just take the lead in their head to head - he snatched it and mooned Federer on the way out for good measure. As if being the man who killed it off in the first place wasn’t enough, Djokovic could not have disrespected the Nadal-Federer reign more had he danced all over its grave in jubilation.

The significance of Djokovic’s victory is also seen in the narrative. At the beginning of the tournament the biggest question circling all minds was who on earth could possibly defeat Djokovic, and at the beginning of the match Federer was considered a legitimate rival.

Djokovic answered all questions clearly and concisely with his racket. As far as the eyes can see, there is no indication that any tennis player is ready for the world number one. In the fourth round, Djokovic produced one of the worst performances of his career against Gilles Simon but the result appears to have only strengthened him even further. And though Federer has pushed Djokovic like no other, the Serb’s victory marked his fourth straight victory in a slam over his rival, with Federer’s most recent win in 2012.

The gulf between Djokovic and the rest of the field has long since resembled a dark, unending pit of doom, but all indications are that this pit is continuing to widen. In reality, it should have been obvious for some time. Djokovic’s 2015 was a remarkable masterpiece from the second tournament onwards, but after he wrapped up the incredible achievement of his third slam victory at the US Open, it only improved further.

After the US Open in China and until the end, Djokovic was free, flowing and dominant in a far more emphatic manner than the rest of the year. From the friction-filled encounters with top players, in the fall of 2015 he slid past them with silky ease. The results finally reflected the true nature of his dominance, and aside from one match, he has only carried this form into 2016.

But no matter how much Djokovic wins and how supremely he dominates, so much of Djokovic’s success is complimented alongside a caveat. He’s impressive, they say, but he’s impressive in the same distant, impersonal way that Olympic Shooting is impressive. To many others, he’s a machine, but the clear connotation is that his tennis and his performances don’t elicit emotions.

One such topic swirling around the interweb during Djokovic’s supreme performance was a comparison to Chelsea’s infamous first Mourinho team. Never mind the fact that Djokovic has mastered the baseline to a higher level than has been seen in the history of tennis and who cares how otherworldly his skills across the board are? For all his effort and endless reservoirs of talent, he is still wrongly considered defensive, rigid and an affront to the meaning of entertainment.

Perhaps more than anything, the public perception is a reflection of how unprepared the world of sport was for Djokovic. During the reigns of Nadal and Federer it appeared certain that such achievements could never be replicated. Audiences were told at every turn that they were watching a level of tennis that could only be seen once in a lifetime. Well, they were wrong. Djokovic’s win against Federer was yet another reminder of this, and that no amount of effort from the Swiss legend can change that.