Novak Djokovic is making a habit out of losing the opening set against Roger Federer. For most people, that would be a problem, but for the 21-year-old Serb with ample reserves of self-belief, it’s only a reason to fight even harder.

For the second time in the past month, Djokovic felled Federer in a Masters 1000 semifinal by overcoming a one-set deficit against the 13-time Grand Slam champion. A 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Federer on Saturday at the Foro Italico catapulted Djokovic into the finals of the Rome Masters. In Sunday’s championship match, the No. 3 seed will play top-rated Rafael Nadal, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez.

Djokovic’s tennis season–which looked to be in tatters just seven weeks ago–is now experiencing a modest but real renaissance. Djokovic might not be winning tournaments, but this triumph over Federer allows the Belgrade native to boast of a third straight appearance in a Masters 1000 final. This string of strong performances has been built on the back of improved mental toughness from Djokovic, and no two matches have revealed the Serb’s competitive grit more than his pair of recent wins against Federer, a man still looking for a fresh injection of swagger.

In Miami, Monte Carlo, and now Rome, Djokovic has played his way to the final Sunday of the tournament. In Monte Carlo, Djokovic did have to beat a Swiss foe in the semis, but that was Stanislas Wawrinka. In Miami and in Rome, the path to a Masters final has taken Djokovic through Federer, a personal nemesis who entered 2009 with a 7-2 record in head-to-head matchups. It’s hard enough to beat a player of Federer’s stature; it’s even more difficult to do so when history looms as a burden, a reminder of past defeats. After bowing out of the Australian Open due to heat exhaustion, and then getting crushed in the Indian Wells quarters by Andy Roddick, it appeared that 2009 was going to be a long and unsuccessful campaign for Djokovic. When he took on Federer a month ago in Miami, little evidence existed to suggest that this enigmatic performer would reassert himself as a force on the ATP Tour. But on that Friday afternoon in Florida, the seeds of a revival were sown for the one nicknamed “Nole.”

After dropping a dismal first set to Federer on the hardcourts of Miami, Djokovic steadied his mind, competed admirably, won a few tense multi-deuce games to swing momentum, and ultimately prevailed in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic didn’t play particularly inspired tennis that day, and the Serb lost the final to Andy Murray two days later, but a larger benefit clearly emerged from the end of his American hardcourt swing: Djokovic realized that he could win without his best stuff as long as he competed relentlessly. Losing the first set–even to Roger Federer–would not be cause to fold up the tent and quietly absorb another beating.

Fast forward a month later to the red dirt of Stadio Pietrangeli, and it’s clear that Djokovic, now on European clay, has retained the lessons imparted to him in Miami.

As was the case in their previous meeting, Federer and Djokovic staged a drama in which the Swiss took the first set and created a context in which the Serb’s level of resolve would be tested. While it’s true that the level of tennis displayed in this match far exceeded anything the two men produced in Miami, the same basic dynamic still applied: Federer landed the first punch, making it imperative for Djokovic to stand in the ring, grind out points, and hang around long enough for the tide to turn.

Federer might have a stack of tremendous achievements to his name, but the credentialed champion has nevertheless betrayed signs of fragile confidence, inconsistent focus, and surprisingly vulnerable nerves at this advanced stage of his career. The old Federer produced blowouts the moment the finish line emerged, but this latest incarnation of Fed has shown that he will give opponents opportunities to climb back into matches. When Federer took a 6-4, 2-0 lead against Djokovic in Italy’s capital city, the percentages naturally aligned with the Swiss superstar, but the competition was hardly over. The same Federer who once ruled tennis with merciless ease is not the same man in 2009, his career trajectory changed by Rafael Nadal, his life direction altered by marriage and impending fatherhood. The compelling drama of professional tennis is that even the best players have to maintain form through numerous off-court distractions and the many life-changing events that naturally emerge in private spheres of activity. For a time, a great champion will enjoy perfect serenity and competitive focus whenever he (or she) steps on the court, but life being what it is, an interruption of pure clarity will inevitably surface. This fact of tennis life, combined with the wear and tear of the tour, will erode the consistency of everyone before too long… even the consistency of a legend such as Federer. The No. 2 seed might have enjoyed a set-and-a-break lead against Djokovic, but Federer still had work to do.

This is where Djokovic’s rediscovered tenacity came prominently into play.

On other days in the past–as in the 2008 Monte Carlo semifinals, when he retired against Federer–Djokovic might have allowed an even more frail mindset to sabotage his competitive will, which burns deeply, but sometimes too hot. On this afternoon, however, the Serb showed the determination of a true Roman warrior. He fended off a break point at 0-2, 30-40 in the second set, which would have given Federer a double-break lead and a firm grip on the match. After a rain delay, Djokovic saved another break point when trailing 1-3, 30-40. Twice on the ropes, Djokovic got out of jail, and suddenly, the third seed–though trailing by a set and a break–began to feel as though a comeback was entirely possible. The tone and tenor of the match turned, and Federer seemed to feel this as much as anyone else in Stadio Pietrangeli.

Serving at 3-2 in the second set, Federer was abruptly broken after seven straight holds without facing so much as a single break point. Djokovic used that moment to fuel a surge in forward momentum, as the Serb reeled off five straight games to capture the second set, 6-3. Precisely because he didn’t concede points when trailing decisively on the scoreboard, Djokovic forced Federer to maintain a very high level, and when the Swiss slipped, the match changed in an instant.

What was even more remarkable about this match, however, is the way the third set unfolded. Instead of maintaining the mojo that carried him through the second set, Djokovic let down his guard and displayed unsettled body language in the early stages of the third stanza. Federer stabilized his balky first serve and, with Djokovic spraying a number of errors, took another 3-1 lead, just like the second set. Having blown a chance to take the match in straight sets, Federer was given another chance to close the door on Nole.

Instead, the Joker would have the last laugh, again due to his unquenchable and dogged insistence on making Federer-Djokovic something other than a lopsided head-to-head matchup. For the second consecutive set, Djokovic–aided by Federer’s increasingly faulty forehand and some magnificent defense of his own–won five straight games to capture another 6-3 set. If lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place, this day was an exception, and when all was said and done, Novak Djokovic was holding the thunderbolt, armed with the power of knowing that a former nemesis is now his inferior, especially on the red clay of his home continent. Roger Federer used to be the second-best claycourt performer in the world, but now that distinction belongs to a Serbian standout.

It’s amazing what one month–and two Masters semifinals–can do to shape the nature of a career. For Djokovic, first-set losses to a hallowed champion have lost their sting. Such a reality–though hard to imagine at the start of 2009–has clearly reshaped the landscape of men’s tennis… and the outlook of a gifted player who has reclaimed his fighting spirit.

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WTA Update – Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Stuttgart

Saturday’s Semifinal Scores:

(1) Dinara Safina d. Flavia Pennetta, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0

(5) Svetlana Kuznetsova d. (2) Elena Dementieva, 6-4, 6-2

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