Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Twelve months ago, Roger Federer read how the chasing pack was catching him. He responded by routing Andy Roddick in an 83-minute semifinal on his way to the Australian Open title.

Now it's Novak Djokovic, who has burst into the top three of men's tennis, raising questions about his dominance before their semifinal tonight in Melbourne. Djokovic said Federer is ``beatable'' and players have ``more belief that they can win.''

``Heard it before and don't read it anymore,'' Federer said after defeating James Blake to reach a 15th straight major semifinal. ``It's the same thing over and over again.''

Djokovic's comments may not be gamesmanship or wishful thinking. The 20-year-old Serb beat Federer in a Masters Series final in Montreal in August and missed chances to break the top- ranked player before losing their U.S. Open final in September.

That lifted Federer to 12 Grand Slam singles titles, two short of Pete Sampras's men's record.

It's not only Djokovic's form -- he has yet to drop a set in the tournament -- that's giving him confidence. Federer lost four times at the end of 2007 and hasn't played his best since arriving ill-prepared after a stomach bug.

``He's looked a little underdone and Djokovic isn't shaping as a pushover,'' said Bill Richmond, betting manager of Sportingbet Australia, which rates Djokovic 2-1 and Federer 5-2 on, meaning a winning $10 bet on Federer would make a $4 profit.

Playing Tips

A new, slower court surface isn't helping the two-time defending champion, according to former U.S. Open winner Pat Rafter. Federer needed four hours, 27 minutes to win a third- round match in five sets against unseeded Janko Tipsarevic, who had received tips from fellow countryman Djokovic.

``I've seen Federer play better, but these courts are probably not suiting him quite so much,'' said Rafter. ``I just don't know how well Roger is playing just yet.''

Federer also was tested by Tomas Berdych and Blake in the following rounds, displaying his knack of spooking his opponent against Berdych, who fell apart on his two set points, and raising his game at the key moments against Blake.

``That's another kind of aspect of a champion: being able to come up with those big shots at the right times, late in sets and in tiebreakers,'' Blake told reporters. ``Maybe he's more vulnerable. I'd still pick him.''

Djokovic missed his chances in the U.S. Open final, losing seven set points and saying afterward he was ``mentally weaker.'' His inexperience also showed in a quarterfinal win over David Ferrer in Melbourne, when he lost his composure and needed six match points to finish off the fifth seed.

`No Good'

``In that crucial moment, I let distraction come to my head, which was no good,'' said Djokovic, who advanced to a fourth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. ``But I'll work on that.''

Federer has won 10 straight major semifinals and is on an 18-match win streak at Melbourne Park. That experience may help him advance to a first Grand Slam final against unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

``I was so nervous,'' said Federer, recounting his first major semifinal and final in 2003. ``Now it's been so many that it's almost become some sort of a routine. That's helped me a great deal, being able to cope with those big moments.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Grant Clark at Melbourne Park gclark@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 24, 2008 09:29 EST