By Mike McIntyre
Novak Djokovic officially made-up with tennis fans in New York on Monday night at the U.S. Open. Following his 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 thrashing of Radek Stepanek in the night session on Arthur Ashe stadium, Djokovic returned to his fun-loving, impersonating old self by performing an impressive John McEnroe routine.
Djokovic had the crowd laughing throughout as he displayed McEnroe's over-exaggerated service motion, berated a ball kid for taking too long to provide him with a tennis ball, and even let loose a trademark "You cannot be serious!"
Afterwards McEnroe accepted the Djokovic "challenge" to step onto the court and hit a few balls. McEnroe emerged to thunderous applause and played a few points in his shirt, tie and dress pants.
Whether spontaneous or calculated, Djokovic was clearly successful in winning over the New York crowd following his self-imploding interview a year ago after defeating American Andy Roddick.
It was nice to see Novak back to his old-self even if just for a night. Ever since his Aussie Open win in January 2008 it seems like the world number four has become slightly more serious, arrogant and tense on and off the court. Last night was a welcome reversal for Djokovic and I believe helped him get back that much needed crowd support that players can use to their advantage in New York.
While I don't expect this publicity stunt to suddenly turn Djokovic into the darling of the New York faithful, it should at least bring him back to neutral ground where his future behavior will dictate the crowd's response.
His next match is against Fernando Verdasco in the quarter-finals.
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