Does Djokovic have enough time to catch Federer?

SHANGHAI -- When a player takes long-term ownership of the world No. 1 ranking, natural swagger becomes a given.

That profile is the perfect fit for Novak Djokovic , who currently sits well atop the rankings ladder. The Serbian sensation is into his 168th overall week as the game's alpha and has ended four of the past five years -- all but 2013 -- as the best in the business.

Djokovic, who came through with a 7-6 (6), 6-1 win against Bernard Tomic, of Australia on Friday to reach the Shanghai Masters semifinals, continues to place himself in that alternate stratosphere, where only a few special champions before him have journeyed. This year, he became one of only three players in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a season (Rod Laver in 1969 and Roger Federer in 2006, '07 and '09 are the others).

By winning this year's Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles, a feat he also achieved in 2011, Djokovic increased his Grand Slam trophy tally to 10 and counting.

Djokovic, 28, is aware of recent chatter suggesting he, rather than Rafael Nadal, owner of 14 Grand Slam titles, could be the one who surpasses Federer's current record of 17 major victories. And he is inspired by the challenge of the chase.

"Obviously, I've experienced incredible things in my career, my life," Djokovic said at his news conference in Shanghai. "Nothing is impossible. I have that kind of mindset. I know that it's still a long way to break his record. But people even mentioning and talking about it, obviously it flatters me."

The question, of course, is going to be how much longer Djokovic, who turns 29 in May, can play at this level.

Tennis' Open era began in 1968, and in that time there have been 192 Grand Slam events. Of those, only 28 players at the age of 29 or older have run the table at a major.

To add some perspective, Federer has only one Slam title since he turned 29 (he was actually a month shy of his 31st birthday), a feat he accomplished at Wimbledon in 2012. And Nadal, who turned 29 in June, has declined rapidly this season.

"I love this sport," Djokovic said. "I feel like there are many more years in front of me. Hopefully, if I'm able to sustain this level of dedication and level of performance, the way I play tennis, I think I have a good chance to compete for the trophy on any Grand Slam in the future."

The good news for Djokovic is that while tennis is still very much a young man's sport, the current crop of top-tier players is trending older. Six players in the current top 15 are 30 or older. This season, heading into Shanghai, there were 20 occasions of a player 30 years or older winning a singles title, compared to 13 last season. Barring injury or lack of interest, there's little to suggest Djokovic won't be fully in the title mix when he reaches this milestone age.

Last week, he picked up his eighth trophy of the year in Beijing, a tournament Djokovic has won six times. Since a quarterfinal defeat to Ivo Karlovic at the Exxon Mobil Open in Doha, Qatar, the first week of the 2015 season, Djokovic has strutted into a career-high 12 consecutive finals.

"Considering the fact that I've won so many matches this year and tournaments, probably the best season of my life definitely, anywhere I go I'm confident," Djokovic said. "Especially towards the end of the season, knowing that in previous years I've played consistently well and was very successful in the last couple of months of the season. That encourages me, gives me incentive to go out on the court and play the best that I can."

One of the perks that comes with being a player of Djokovic's caliber is the fear factor.

"I'm aware of the mental edge that I might have over a certain amount of players, and I try to use that," Djokovic said. "I try to win and do anything that is possible and necessary for me to achieve that. You have to earn the respect from the other players by playing well, being consistent, coming onto the court with confidence."

Give his dominance over every player in his path in recent years, the only real threat to Djokovic's pursuit of Federer is time. But even that doesn't seem like it'll be a match for the world No. 1.