Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Djokovic out of US Open after hitting line judge

Djokovic out of US Open after hitting line judge

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was defaulted from his fourth-round match Sunday at the US Open after a tennis ball he hit in anger struck a line judge in the neck.

As he walked to the Arthur Ashe Stadium sideline for a changeover, trailing Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the first set, Djokovic -- who was seeded and ranked No. 1 and an overwhelming favorite for the championship -- angrily smacked a ball behind him. The ball flew right at the line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck.



During a discussion of about 10 minutes near the net involving chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, tournament referee Soeren Friemel and Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli, Djokovic appeared to be pleading his case. Eventually, he walked over to shake hands with Carreno Busta.

Tourte then announced that Djokovic was defaulted, the tennis equivalent of an ejection.

Djokovic left the tournament grounds without speaking to the media. In an Instagram post, he apologized to the line judge, saying that he didn't intend to hit her and is going to "turn all this into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being."



Asked whether Djokovic should have been allowed to continue to play, Carreno Busta shrugged and replied, "Well, the rules are the rules. ... The referee and the supervisor [did] the right thing, but it's not easy to do it."

Indeed, the United States Tennis Association issued a statement saying that Friemel defaulted Djokovic "in accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences."

The USTA went on to say that Djokovic forfeits the ranking points and $250,000 in prize money that he earned in the tournament, "in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident."

"Novak was angry. He hit the ball recklessly, angrily back. And taking everything into consideration, there was no discretion involved," Friemel said. "Defaulting a player at a Grand Slam is a very important, very tough decision. And for that reason, it doesn't matter if it's on Ashe, if it's No. 1, or any other player on any other court, you need to get it right.''

Friemel also confirmed that Djokovic now faces a $10,000 fine for the incident, and that Djokovic's intent was taken into consideration when it came to the fine. Had Djokovic intended to injure the line judge, the penalty would have been harsher, Friemel said.

"We would have done the same decision on any other court with any other player," he added.

Djokovic will likely face an additional fine for not attending his post-match news conference after he left the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center without taking questions.

This was the latest example of Djokovic finding himself at the center of the tennis world for a reason other than his best-in-the-game returns, can't-miss groundstrokes and body-contorting defensive prowess.

Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus -- as did his wife, one of his coaches and other players -- after participating in a series of exhibition matches with zero social distancing that he organized in Serbia and Croatia in June. Then, on the eve of the US Open, he helped establish a new association he says will represent men's tennis players.

And, of course, there's been his dominance on the court.

Djokovic began the day 26-0 this season, with an unbeaten run that extended to his last three matches of 2019. He had won five of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments to raise his total to 17, closing in on rivals Roger Federer -- who has a men's-record 20 -- and Rafael Nadal, who has 19.

With reigning US Open champion Nadal, who cited concerns about traveling amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Federer, sidelined after two knee operations, not in the field, the 33-year-old Djokovic was expected to claim a fourth trophy in New York.

It all came apart suddenly Sunday, even if it appeared that Djokovic did not intend to hit the line judge. He wasn't looking in her direction when his racket made contact with the ball, and there was concern on his face as soon as he realized what had happened.

Players who hit a ball out of anger and make contact with an on-court official have been defaulted in the past. In 2017, for example, Denis Shapovalov -- a 21-year-old Canadian scheduled to play his fourth-round match on Sunday -- was defaulted from a Davis Cup match against Britain when he accidentally hit the chair umpire in the face with a ball.

At Wimbledon in 1995, Tim Henman hit a ball into the head of a ball girl and was defaulted from a doubles match.

"I think the supervisors and all them are just doing their job, but very unlucky for Novak," said Alexander Zverev, the No. 5 seed who reached the quarterfinals by winning Sunday. "If it would have landed anywhere else -- we're talking a few inches -- he would have been fine."

Among the many oddities about the 2020 US Open, the first Grand Slam tournament since the onset of the pandemic, is that there are no spectators.

Another is that only the two largest arenas -- Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium -- have full complements of line judges making calls at matches. At other courts, chair umpires are aided by an electronic line-calling system.

Djokovic's mood had soured over the preceding few minutes Sunday. In the prior game, he wasted three consecutive break points, and after the last, which Carreno Busta won with a drop shot, Djokovic whacked a ball off a courtside advertising sign.

Then, on the second point of what would become the last game at this year's US Open for Djokovic, he stumbled while chasing a shot and fell to the ground, clutching his left shoulder.

Play was delayed for a few minutes while a trainer checked on him.

On the second point after play resumed, Carreno Busta hit a passing winner to break Djokovic's serve.

That's when Djokovic got himself into trouble.

His departure means there is no man left in the field who has won a Grand Slam singles title. Whoever emerges as champion will be the first first-time major trophy winner in men's tennis since 2014, when Marin Cilic won the US Open.

Each of the past 13 Grand Slam trophies has been won by a member of the big three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

"Going to be a new Grand Slam champion, [that's] all I know. No Grand Slam champions left in the draw. Now it gets interesting," said Zverev, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday. "Now I think is the time when it gets really interesting.''

Since the start of 2005, the big three have won 52 of the 61 majors. The most recent major in which no member of the Big Three was among the four semifinalists was the 2004 French Open.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×