Tennis star Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal match against Novak Djokovic after a ball he struck in frustration hit a fan in the face.
The incident happened with Medvedev trailing 7-5, 5-3, but having won the first point on Djokovic’s serve. Djokovic, 39, got the better of him on the second point, and Medvedev took a frustration swing at the ball as it bounced toward him. The ball sailed into the stands where it struck a fan in the left eye. The fan appeared to be in pain and was assisted by stadium staff, according to The Guardian.
Medvedev expressed his remorse to reporters after the match.
“Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” he said. “I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels. … I just hope he’s OK. That’s the most important. I just really care about him right now.”
Medvedev added, “The ball was bouncing back so I tried to just hit it anywhere so it doesn’t go out from the court. When I saw the result I felt horrible.”
Djokovic now advances to face Alex de Minaur in the championship match on Tuesday, October 6.
“A bit of a shock, to be honest,” Djokovic said of the incident. “Sorry for the person [who got hit]. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I was disqualified at the 2020 US Open in similar circumstances. I am sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.”
Djokovic was referring to an incident at the 2020 US Open when he hit a line judge in the throat with a ball on an errant swing.
Though Djokovic protested his disqualification to no avail, the ATP rule book appears to leave little wiggle room for Medvedev.
“Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up),” the rulebook reads, according to The Athletic.
It continues, “For purposes of this rule, abuse of balls is defined as intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with disregard of the consequences.”
