Novak Djokovic

Even Wimbledon doesn’t issue tropical-storm warnings. But New York has its own meteorological patterns, among other unique perils served up at its late-summer school of hardcourt tennis knocks.

Scheduling uncertainty was added on Saturday to oppressive humidity, along with the standard fan loquacity and occasional hostility. Novak Djokovic gave in to all US Open distractions on a day when he couldn’t afford any as Roger Federer continued going with the flow of his emotions, not allowing the impostor of 2008 to get loose again.

There was the spectre of the remnants of Hurricane Hanna blowing their way up the coast. There was the altered throwback air-flight path sending La Guardia jets groaning across the soupy, Beijing-like sky over Arthur Ashe Stadium. There was a majority of the crowd adopting Federer as its four-time defending champion, trying to subvert Djokovic’s chances of returning to the final and, in fact, helping him along to a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 defeat.

Most effective was a vocal interruption as Djokovic prepared to serve at 30-30, 5-5 in the third set, leading to a missed forehand, a mock salute of the crowd and a break of serve that gave Federer the lead for good.

“Over all, you know, it’s been a very exhausting tournament mentally and physically for me, so I’m happy that I got to the semis,” Djokovic said, not sounding too convincing.

He brought the wrath of New York upon him with his testy post-match comments Thursday night after his quarter final victory over Andy Roddick. You could argue that Yankee Doodle Andy’s sarcasm about Djokovic’s aches and pains, real or imagined, were uncalled for because unlike Roddick, Djokovic did go the distance this summer. He played the Olympics, all the way to the bronze medal match before making the gruelling return to North America. In fairness to Roddick, he later insisted he was kidding, merely being the quintessential wise guy. Djokovic, the Frank Caliendo of tennis, would have left the fans howling and happy had he lightened up and impersonated himself by leaving the court Thursday night with an exaggerated limp.

“He was out there making fun of people last year, and if you’re going to dish it out, then you’d better be able to take it a little bit,” John McEnroe said after the rain arrived.

All major tournaments have their trademark annoyances, but the freewheeling nature of the American Grand Slam event seems to be the most trying, primarily for foreign players.

“We had Boris Becker in the booth just the other night, and he said it took him about five years to figure the Open out,” McEnroe said. “Stefan Edberg was another one. He used to say he hated it.”

Harshest of all was the South African Kevin Curren, who said he was so spooked by the low-flying planes before the former Mayor David N. Dinkins re-routed them that he suggested one be used to drop a bomb on the place. He could be sent to Guantánamo for saying that now.

McEnroe, who just last month was defaulted from a senior match for bad behaviour, may be the world’s foremost expert on crowd antagonism. “The pressure he is dealing with now is a lot different than before,” McEnroe said. “He’s hit the big-boy club now; and he’s not the hunter, he’s the hunted.”

Remember when Pete Sampras returned to the Open after winning it as a 19-year-old in 1990? When he lost in the quarter finals to Jim Courier, he said he was relieved not to have to wear the burden of defending Open champion.

Sampras liked to say that he grew up as a player after that. New York’s slam can be infuriating, but if Djokovic, 21, can learn to deal with hardship here, he can withstand it anywhere. He may want to adopt that as his mantra for next time.