Federer - AP photos

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP):

The crowd erupted as Roger Federer rallied and Novak Djokovic seemed to be faltering.

Surely this was the start of a comeback for top-ranked Federer. Surely Djokovic was starting to crack under the pressure.

Not this time.

This time, Federer wasn't invincible. He still was good, just not good enough. He had reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals and won 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park. That all came to an abrupt end when he lost to No. 3 Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the Australian Open semi-finals yesterday.

''You can't always play your best,'' said Federer, who lamented that the downside of his dominating success has been creating unrealistic expectations that he should never lose. ''I've created a monster that I need to win every tournament - still, the semi-finals isn't bad.''

Unfortunate

Djokovic

He added: ''I think he made the more important points today, it was a bit unfortunate for me,'' said Federer, who rubbed his eyes frequently at his post-match news conference. ''There is no doubt I have played better before."

Federer had been seeking his third consecutive title here, which would have pulled him within one of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams.

The emotional Djokovic, who has reached the semi-finals of the last four majors, pounded 13 aces and 50 winners, largely avoiding the nerves that have occasionally troubled the 20-year-old Serbian player.

'I felt the crowd was not behind me, but that's OK ... I fight two opponents,'' Djokovic said.

''I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today,'' Djokovic said. ''In the most important moments, I played my best tennis. It's just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets.''

He now will face unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the other semi-final, in Sunday's final.

''It's going to be interesting, young players playing against each other,'' said Djokovic, who complained of exhaustion at the Masters Cup in November after playing more matches than anyone last year, then rejuvenated himself with a break in which he did as little as possible.