Novak sets the record straight on King Roger

But even this eclectic mix in his courtside fan club was not enough to stiffen his nerve sufficiently to take his chances against Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final.

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The 26-year-old Swiss marched on to his 12th Grand Slam title and is within two of matching Pete Sampras, earning him an almost impenetrable aura.

Djokovic admitted afterwards that it is almost as hard to play the reputation of the man as it is to overcome his exquisite brand of tennis.

'He has the advantage over the players in any match he goes into because his opponent is thinking "I'm playing Roger Federer, one of the best players ever in tennis",' said Djokovic, who had seven set points — five in the first set, two in the second — before losing 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

He added: 'I think I was mentally weaker on the important points than he is mentally stronger; that was my mistake and my weakness. I just needed to calm down and wait for my chances, which I didn't. I made a lot of unforced errors.

'My next book is going to be called Seven Set Points — I'd love to go back out there and play them again.'

Djokovic, who slightly unconvincingly denied that he and Sharapova were anything more than just friends, can now claim to be the second best hard court player in the world.

At the start of this year he and Andy Murray, who is exactly a week older, were ranked 16th and 17th in the world and reckoned to be in the vanguard of the game's best young talent.

After all Murray's injury problems, Djokovic is now well out in front of the Scot or anyone else and ready next year to slow Federer's relentless drive towards Sampras's record.

Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko have all tried and come close to stopping him in the last three Grand Slams, the only success being that of Nadal in Paris.

After their semi-final here, Davydenko described the Swiss as being 'lucky' and while that is pretty harsh there is a sense he has enjoyed his share of good fortune this year.

But you make your own luck and part of that is the intimidatory effect your record has on opponents. That is what helped him squeeze through difficult moments in his last three matches and beat Andy Roddick, Davydenko and Djokovic in straight sets.

It is the kind of form that has led Tiger Woods to describe him as the most dominant athlete on the planet and, while Federer was winning his latest major on Sunday, Woods was winning yet another golf tournament.

Federer said: 'I love getting compliments from Tiger because they do mean something to me. It's great to see him winning. It's always best if we win at the same time.

'For me, it's a lot of fun being compared with Tiger. I hope he can keep up his great run and beat Jack Nicklaus's record. I'm chasing down Sampras.'