Remember when it was so easy to root against Novak Djokovic ?

Remember when he was a clear-cut villain, the cocky and arrogant outsider who dared interrupt the iconic rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? Remember how fun it was to poke fun at his awkward impressions, his weird on-the-court outbursts and his clear frustration about not being able to fit in with the cool kids?

I do. And now, I kind of feel bad about it. Watching the 38-year-old Djokovic struggle early before winning his second-round match at the U.S. Open Wednesday against 22-year-old American qualifier Zachary Svajda, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, it suddenly dawned on me that there is something incredibly noble about what Djokovic is trying to do here.

Djokovic, ranked No. 7 in the world, is the last vestige of o

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