NEW YORK -- The official language of New York, that special brand of booing that comes from someplace deep in the diaphragm, blared through Arthur Ashe Stadium late Thursday night, but the odd part about that was its recipient.
Out there on the court, doing a post-match TV interview, making whine upon whine that dredged the jeers, stood the same Novak Djokovic who only 12 months ago had ripened into a darling of the National Tennis Center, reaching the final and enchanting the audiences with dead-on impersonations of other players.
After helping Andy Roddick along with a fourth-set meltdown in a U.S. Open quarterfinal, the model of levity somehow had become a case of uptightness, moaning because Roddick had joshed Tuesday night about Djokovic's penchant for calling trainers during matches.
When the USA Network microphone tilted toward Djokovic, he basked in his 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win on "his court" and "his city, his favorite tournament," then said, "Obviously Andy was saying that I have 60 injuries last match; obviously I don't, right?"
Boos boomed.
"I know they are already against me because they think I'm faking everything, so . . . "
Boos cascaded.
"That's not nice . . . "
Boos persisted, subsided, then welled up again as Djokovic exited.
Here the 21-year-old Australian Open champion and outstanding No. 3 player had arranged a glam men's semifinal with Roger Federer, who by day had beaten Gilles Muller, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5). Here Djokovic had made the last four for an incredible sixth time in the last seven Grand Slam tournaments. Yet here somehow he'd wound up with precisely the kind of reception that can hurt a generally affable soul such as his.
By the end of his news conference an hour later, he had apologized twice, noted extreme pressure of recent days and said, "This is exactly the situation I don't want to be in. You know, fighting with people, fighting with the press. This is absolutely not me."
The theme of Djokovic-with-ailments long has simmered on the tour with a fresh boil here in Flushing Meadows. In a fourth-round, five-set win over Tommy Robredo of Spain, Djokovic called for the trainer and mentioned an upset stomach to complement ankle and hip injuries.
Robredo intended no humor when he said he found Djokovic's injuries untrustworthy, a contention Djokovic denies at length, but Roddick employed his fine repertoire of sarcasm and irony when he listed off Djokovic's maladies in a news conference as "a back and a hip," "a cramp," "bird flu," "anthrax," "SARS" and "a common cough and cold."
