ESPN 2007 French Open

PARIS -- After he advanced to the first Grand Slam singles semifinal of his young life, Novak Djokovic did not fall to the red clay in disbelief. He did not jump up and down or hug himself.

Slowly, as the cheers on Court Philippe Chatrier washed over him, he raised his arms and held them, in an extended V, for a few seconds. Djokovic smiled, congratulated the vanquished Igor Andreev, then walked across the court and handed his black wristband to a young man sitting in a wheelchair.

Djokovic dismantled Andreev on Wednesday with a tidy 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 result that underlined his relentless and fastidious approach to the game. In his mind, this was supposed to happen.

He's been 20 for all of two weeks, but Djokovic thinks and plays years ahead of his time. We offer this historical context:

Roger Federer reached his first Grand Slam semifinal one month shy of his 22nd birthday. Federer, of course, won that 2003 Wimbledon title, but the fact remains Djokovic has crossed the threshold of a major semifinal nearly two years earlier than Federer did.

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In the last two years, the Serbian player has accelerated from No. 83 in the rankings to No. 16 at the end of 2006. He's currently No. 6 and poised to rise even higher. Federer was 21 when he finished the 2002 season ranked at No. 6

Andreev, who is nearly four years old than Djokovic and was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, was impressed.

"I'm surprised, like, mentally, he's so strong for the age that he is," Andreev said.

Going forward, when Federer decides to vacate the throne, it likely will be Djokovic and Rafael Nadal dueling at the top of the men's game. Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, Tomas Berdych and Marcos Baghdatis, all in their early 20s, have yet to make a decisive move. Nadal has been No. 2 in the world since late July 2005, when he was just 19.

As luck would have it, Nadal and Djokovic will meet in Friday's semifinals. Nadal, the No. 2 seed, hammered good friend Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.

Djokovic and Nadal have played three times this year already, with Nadal winning twice. But that one loss, Djokovic said, probably was the best match of his life. It came in the quarterfinals at Miami, where Djokovic went on to become the youngest champion in tournament history.

"[Nadal] is the best player in the world on this surface," Djokovic said. "He didn't lose at the French Open for three years. I won against him one time, so it can help me in the next match."

Is he ready to win a major?

"Well," Djokovic said, "I don't see myself as a Grand Slam winner -- [but] I believe in it. I'm trying to go step by step. I know I'm in the semifinals with two matches to go, against the best top players on this surface."

Rome -- or Paris, for that matter -- wasn't built in a day. And Federer didn't become the best tennis player in the world in a year's time. He matured slowly, physically and mentally, and after five full years as a professional he reached No. 1. He was 22 years and 5 months old.

Federer always had the sheer, sizzling talent. It was his mental game that needed seasoning. Already, Djokovic has a breathtakingly complete game.

Forehand? Check. Backhand? Check. Toughness? Check. Serve? Improving. Ditto for his volley and fitness. He retired from matches in his last two appearances here, but that doesn't seem likely this year.

"What I like about him is his mentality," said Steve Flink, a senior correspondent for Tennis Week Magazine. "All the other players, with the exception of Nadal, cower in front of Roger. Djokovic walks out there and says, 'I'm not going to give in to you.'

"I can see him beating Federer later this year -- he can win on all surfaces -- and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't finish the year No. 3. He's better than [Andy] Roddick and [Nikolay] Davydenko."

Although clay may be the surface least conducive to Djokovic's game, he has already reached the quarters twice here at Roland Garros and it is not a stretch to imagine him reaching that plateau at the other three Grand Slams.

At 20, he is already a worldly fellow who, in addition to speaking his native Serbian language, can throw out some passable German and Italian -- and his English is more than serviceable.

"Oh, yeah … nice," he said when the media flowed into the main interview room. "Now you're coming. Where were you [the] first week?"

He was joking, of course. For the foreseeable future, the media might do well to skip his first-week interviews at the Grand Slams. More often than not, he'll be playing deep in the second.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.