The US Open was supposed to be a slam dunk for Novak Djokovic but instead of moving closer to Roger Federer in the Grand Slam record books, the world No. 1 was defaulted Sunday (6) when he struck a line judge with a ball.
The Serb had just been broken to trail 6-5 in the first set against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in New York when he hit a ball behind him. Djokovic wouldn’t have been aiming at anyone but it hit the line judge -- seemingly on her throat-- and she fell to the ground.
The chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte, and Djokovic, went to check on her before they were joined on court by tournament referee Soeren Friemel and supervisor Andreas Egli.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia tends to a line judge who was hit with the ball during his men’s singles match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the 2020 US Open on Sunday, September 6.
Djokovic then had an extended conversation with Friemel before being officially defaulted. The 17-time Grand Slam champion walked off court in near silence since no fans were in the stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic and left the tournament site without speaking to the media.
In an Instagram post later on Sunday, Djokovic apologised to the tournament and everyone associated for his behavior.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote. “I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being.”
(Story courtesy CNN)
The Serb had just been broken to trail 6-5 in the first set against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in New York when he hit a ball behind him. Djokovic wouldn’t have been aiming at anyone but it hit the line judge -- seemingly on her throat-- and she fell to the ground.
The chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte, and Djokovic, went to check on her before they were joined on court by tournament referee Soeren Friemel and supervisor Andreas Egli.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia tends to a line judge who was hit with the ball during his men’s singles match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the 2020 US Open on Sunday, September 6.
Djokovic then had an extended conversation with Friemel before being officially defaulted. The 17-time Grand Slam champion walked off court in near silence since no fans were in the stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic and left the tournament site without speaking to the media.
In an Instagram post later on Sunday, Djokovic apologised to the tournament and everyone associated for his behavior.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote. “I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being.”
(Story courtesy CNN)