NEW YORK -- Once upon a time, a strapping 20-year-old crashed into his first Grand Slam final and found himself confronted by a venerable champion who owned a record 13 Grand Slam singles titles.
Astonishingly, Marat Safin wrecked Pete Sampras that autumn day seven years ago. The score was 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, and it was over in 98 minutes. Sampras, coming off his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title and winner of eight straight Grand Slam finals, was never quite the same.
A decade earlier, Sampras had been that very underdog. Only 19 and a lowly No. 12 seed, he surprised Andre Agassi by the almost identical score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to win his first Grand Slam. It was the catalyst for the best Grand Slam run in men's history.
On Sunday, a 20-year-old Serbian will take the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium and play the first Grand Slam final of his ascendant career. He, too, faces a venerable champion: Roger Federer, owner of 11 Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic, let the record show, is the youngest men's U.S. Open finalist since Sampras in 1990.
Will history repeat itself?
After defeating David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the first men's semifinal, Djokovic could be forgiven for, perhaps, not telling the entire truth.
"I'm not really thinking about Roger, playing with him," Djokovic said. "He still needs to win his semifinal match. Davydenko is a tough opponent."
It was, of course, a case of extremely wishful thinking. In the day's second semifinal, Federer handled Davydenko 7-5, 6-1, 7-5.
Frankly, the tide of recent history appears to be overwhelming in Federer's favor. The 26-year-old from Switzerland is:
• Trying to become the first man since William T. Tilden II (1923) to win four consecutive U.S. Open titles. He has won 26 straight matches here at the National Tennis Center.
• Playing in his 10th consecutive Grand Slam final, three more than the previous record, which was set by Jack Crawford.
• Three set wins from his 12th Grand Slam singles title. That would give Federer 12 majors in the past 18 contested, going back to the 2003 Wimbledon.
"I think I'm ready, and I need to be ready," Djokovic said, not sounding quite ready. "I need to think like this. I need to believe in myself, because otherwise I wouldn't get the positive outcome.
"I don't want to go out tomorrow and try to do my best or try to perform well. No. I'll go tomorrow to try to win."
He already has demonstrated exceptional mental toughness for someone so young, but what about the physical side? Djokovic has been on the court for 16 hours and 22 minutes for his six matches, an average of more than 2:43 per match. Federer, by contrast, has logged a relatively low 11 hours and 33 minutes, about three-quarters of an hour less, on average, per match.
Djokovic has called for the ATP trainer so many times he has the number memorized. He has had his quads and groin muscles massaged and his chronic aching back adjusted and, in Saturday's sultry humidity, he struggled with his breathing. Now, he faces the prospect of playing back-to-back matches for the first time in the tournament.
"It was kind of relief for me that I won in straight sets," Djokovic allowed. "If I would lose that third set, who knows what would happen."
Does this sound like a man physically ready to play the match of his life?
"You have to be 100 percent ready physically to challenge him, especially if you play him in the finals of a tournament, and a Grand Slam where he performs his best tennis. I'm going to try to be myself, be aggressive, try to be in control of the match, which is going to be difficult, and just believe in the victory."
Djokovic said he would focus on his recovery and rest as much as possible, but three hours after the match, he was hurtling around the players' lounge, jumping over chairs and playing foosball with Murphy Jensen.
Oh, to be 20. And blissfully confident that anything -- anything -- is possible.
For stored in Djokovic's memory bank is this surreal three-day run a month ago in Montreal:
Straight-sets victories over No. 3-ranked Andy Roddick and No. 2 Rafael Nadal, followed by a three-set victory over No. 1 Federer -- in an ultimate tiebreaker, no less.
"I'm going to try to believe in the victory," Djokovic said. "The win over him in Montreal will help me, that's for sure."
The win was a first for the 20-year-old, who had lost the previous four matches to Federer, including two best-of-five matches in Davis Cup (2006) and the Australian Open (2007) in straight sets.
Their first meeting was a year ago in Monte Carlo. Federer dropped a set but wasn't dazzled by the rising star.
"Everybody was wondering, 'What do you think?'" Federer remembered. "I was like, 'Not crazy impressed.' But he's had a great run and he's really improved his game."
Federer did not play a clean match against Davydenko, but a steady wind was the culprit more than anything. There were 14 breaks of serve, and Federer managed nine of them and, despite facing two set points against him in the third set, came back from 3-5 and won the last seven points of the match.
Hard as it is to believe, Federer's first Grand Slam final was only four years ago at Wimbledon. He played Mark Philippoussis, a surprise finalist who was unseeded.
"Wimbledon was my No. 1 of all time," Federer said. "I always dreamt of winning that one. So for me, yeah, it was a lot of pressure.
"I remember being very nervous going into the match, hoping to win. Because I was the favorite, too, in that match. That was the tough part, too. I think it's maybe easier if you're not the favorite in your first final."
Safin and Sampras know it's true. Federer, clearly, has done his homework.
Will history repeat itself?
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.