US Open 2013: Time for Novak to play the ‘Djoker’ card

Djokovic will have to reclaim some of the ‘controlled insanity’ that he displayed during his winning run (Getty Images)

Djokovic’s USP, so to say, from the time of his dominant rise, has been his ability to bounce back from adverse situations.

Even in the worst of situations, Djokovic made it a habit of fighting back from a corner, making it improbable to ever write him off in a match, no matter who the opponent. And he has done it against the best in the business – back-to-back semi-finals against Federer at the US Open in 2010 and 2011, where he mastered a Houdini act to come out of a hole against the Swiss champion, against Nadal and Murray at the Australian Open last year, and then again as recently as this year’s Australian Open against Stan Wawrinka.

For the most part this year, Djokovic has looked bereft of that edge.

The ‘Joker’ in the Batman movies was as formidable a foe for Gotham’s Dark Knight to handle, because he brought with him a certain degree of unpredictability. He believes himself to be an “agent of chaos”, one that revels in introducing a “little anarchy”.

‘The Djoker’s’ meteoric rise in the tennis world was accompanied by much of the same. It was hard to fathom anybody breaking into the top echelons of men’s tennis while Federer and Nadal grazed the tennis grasslands. Deep at the heart of that run, lay that surprise factor about his game – a sort of controlled insanity.

He would pull off the risky shots down match points; he would find an extra gear even when he looked physically spent, and would mercilessly chase down balls, just when you thought his legs could power him no more.

You could throw the kitchen sink at him, and he would go and get the bath tub!

Just when you thought he had shown his hand, he would go back and pull something else out of his hat.

There’s a reason why ‘Nole’ came to be known as the ‘Joker in the pack’.

And so, in the light of a looming final against the raging bull that is Rafael Nadal, perhaps it is time that Djokovic rediscovered that edge. He would definitely need that, and a whole lot more, if he is to get past the in-form player of the season in Nadal (provided there are no upsets in the semis) , and of course, his semi-final opponent before that in Wawrinka.

Last year, Djokovic’s throne came under attack from Roger Federer, who put together a nice set of results to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, before Djokovic snatched it back. He faces a similar threat this time, from the other greatest player of this generation – Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard, in all likelihood, will take that No. 1 spot soon, as a result of the way the rankings work, with his absence from the second half of last season aiding him in accumulating more points at every tournament.

But, Novak Djokovic has one final chance to reassert his authority; to become the only player to win two Slams this year, reaffirming his status as the top ranked player and the man to beat on the ATP tour.

The only way he is going to be able to do that is by bringing back that ‘controlled frenzy’ that he used to play with until recently.

It’s time for Novak Djokovic to play the ‘Djoker’ card, the ultimate gambit in his quest to reclaim some of that lost ground ceded to his rivals this year.