Djokovic won match, but lost crowd
by Zack Pierce, FOXSports.com
Stars can be born overnight in New York City. They can die just as quickly.
So was the case Thursday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the flagship court of the U.S. Open. The tennis equivalent of Carnegie Hall.
Novak Djokovic — the third-ranked Serbian tennis prodigy who skyrocketed onto the scene in 2007 — had just defeated Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of the year's last Grand Slam. The match featured countless emotional swings, as is usually the case when America's top player finds himself in a struggle under the lights of America's top court. The players battled through a nerve-wracking fourth set with Djokovic finally securing the win in a tiebreaker.
Then he showed his true self: a 21-year-old whose game is growing faster than his maturity can handle. In his post-match TV interview, Djokovic chose a tactic that has proved unpopular time and again — ripping on the fans.
The cause of this strange scene was borne out of the multitude of injuries the Serbian has fought throughout the tournament. Roddick had suggested two days prior — with his typically wry sense of humor — that Djokovic might be faking those injuries.
Roddick said after the match that those comments were made in jest. Whether your believe that or not, the words became fuel for Djokovic to describe to the world his plight as an oppressed player at this tournament.
"Well, Andy was saying that I have 16 injuries in the last match, so obviously I don't, right?" he said during a USA network interview after the match concluded.
"It didn't look like it," replied interviewer Michael Barkann.
"Yeah, well," Djokovic said, "Like it or not, it's like that, so ..."
It was a bizarre way to end an entertaining match, and the crowd let him know how they felt about it. Boos rained down from the outskirts of Ashe as Barkann gave Djokovic a chance to make amends.
"You know this crowd loves you, you could turn them against you real fast," he said, clearly hoping for Djokovic to launch into his own rendition of "New York, New York."
"Well, I know they're already against me because they think I'm faking everything," Djokovic said.
It's not the first time Roddick's loose tongue has caused a problem. If you think Roddick was joking, then dwelling on the issue makes Djokovic look foolish. If you think Roddick was calling him out, then dwelling on the issue makes Djokovic over-obsessed with his own image. Either way, projecting Roddick's thoughts onto the New York crowd was suicide for the rising star's reputation.
So what, you ask? New York fans boo everyone. Athletes kill their images all the time. How is this any different? For Djokovic, it's a stunning fall from just one year ago — rock bottom for a player who has yet to reach the peak.
It was after winning in this same round in this same event last year that Djokovic made himself a fan favorite in America. He had just knocked off Carlos Moya in the quarterfinals, and Barkann — the same man who interviewed him Thursday night — asked him to do a couple of his well-known impressions of other tennis players.
He parodied Maria Sharapova to the nines, complete with hiked-up shorts and a tuck of imaginary hair behind the ear. He spoofed Rafael Nadal's constantly chafing pants and trademark pre-serve sneer. He had the Ashe crowd eating out of his hands. Don't believe it?
When he was finished, USA commentator Ted Robinson simply asked, "How can you not like this kid?"
There was no need to answer. It was a rhetorical question. He had won New York over and was one overhead smash away from becoming tennis' most recognized and most liked personality. Heck, he might have been more popular than Roddick in this country at that moment.
One year later, it's all ruined. The famously unforgiving New York fans won't forget this incident anytime soon.
"He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding, so I don't blame it on him," Djokovic said after the match. "Maybe I exaggerated and reacted bad in that moment. I apologize."
In the heat of a match, no player is immune to a lapse in composure — a smashed racket, a shouted obscenity, a ball whacked a little too sharply into the crowd. But Djokovic crossed the line. His "reaction" was too prolonged to be simply a reaction. Frustrated by an understandably pro-Roddick crowd and the occasional idiotic fan who shouted as he was serving, Djokovic picked the worst forum and the worst way to let out his frustration.
A Grand Slam champion himself after winning the Australian Open in January, Djokovic hasn't yet learned that success does not equate to invincibility. And maybe he still will. Maybe a year from now he'll be back to his old tricks.
But for now, it's a disaster. Djokovic walked off the court that night one year ago with his arm around Barkann after a moment fit for Broadway. He walked off the court Thursday alone after Barkann made a desperate and unsuccessful plea for the fans to cheer the two-time semifinalist. The man who gained popularity by making jokes had lost it because he couldn't take one in stride.
Next up at the U.S. Open for Djokovic is four-time defending champion Roger Federer — the man who beat him in last year's final, the man who Djokovic called Thursday the "absolute favorite."
Sorry, Novak. It's too late for humility.
Zack Pierce is a senior editor for FOXSports.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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aingnam01, Henin retired too. :)
Last edited: 05-Sep-08 12:21 PM
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