HomeTennisDjokovic crosses the line, out of US Open for...

Djokovic crosses the line, out of US Open for hitting official accidentally

- Advertisement -

It wasn’t tennis but a bizarre incident, a brain-fade moment if one may call it that, which hogged the headlines on Day 7 at the Flushing Meadows and put World No. 1 and title favourite Novak Djokovic out of the US Open.

In an incident seldom witnessed in a major, much less recorded in the annals of the game, the 17-time Slam champion was disqualified from the tournament for inadvertently hitting a line official with a tennis ball in a moment of fury. While tennis can testify to a certain John McEnroe ranting at the chair umpire on a disputed point or the infamous racquet-busting incidents involving Mark Roset, it had seldom seen a player taking out a line official, quite literally, with a shot in anger. 

- Advertisement -

Two other incidents which beggar similarity with what happened at the Arthur Ashe are of Briton Tim Henman striking a ball girl accidentally in the ear during a men’s doubles game at Wimbledon in 1995 and being promptly disqualified and Argentine star David Nalbandian slamming an advertising hoarding into the shin of a line judge at the Queen’s Club event.

Weighing in on whether the officials were too harsh on the Serb for what was clearly an inadvertent mistake, Henman told Amazon Prime, “It’s the right decision. He is not aiming for a line judge, but has hit the ball away and you have to be responsible for your actions.”

There was a sequence of events leading up to the outburst. Failing to cash in on three set points during his fourth-round encounter with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, the World No. 1 grew frustrated. He then suffered a fall, which darkened his mood even more. Having squandered three set points, with Busta on serve at 4-5 in the opening set, Djokovic lost the next game to be trailing 5-6. 

That was the moment he lost it. Venting out his frustration at conceding a service break, the Serb slammed a ball reasonably hard only to see it catch a female line judge flush in the throat. As the judge went to ground screaming in pain, Djokovic rushed to her and apologised. 

A Reuters report said even as officials were checking in on the injured line judge, tournament referee Soeren Friemel stepped out on court at the Arthur Ashe stadium and was seen in conversation with chair umpire Aurelie Tourte and Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli. They then had a long chat with the three-time US Open champion.

He tried putting forth his point that he didn’t intend to hurt the official. According to the Reuters report, the Serb was overheard saying “she doesn’t have to go to hospital for this”.

He tried arguing with the officials for 10 minutes, as Reuters said, before the officials went with the tournament rulebook and disqualified him from the event.

According to the Grand Slam rules, “The players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or other person within the precincts of the tournament site. The referee, in consultation with the Grand Slam chief of supervisors, may declare a default for either a single violation of this code.”

Sensing no amount of arguing or pleading was going to get him anywhere, the Serb was seen crossing over to the other side of the court and shaking hands with his utterly stunned and flummoxed opponent before he lifted his gear and trudged off the court. He skipped the customary press conference and drove off in a black Tesla, the Reuters report said.

He later posted a long apology note on Instagram. He said, “This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament (officials) told me that thank God, she is feeling ok. I am extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. 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 (a) human being. I apologise to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behaviour.”

The United States Tennis Association released a statement in the light of the Serb’s disqualification, saying, he would lose all the ranking points accrued through his progress in the tournament and will fined the entire prize money – 250,000 US dollars – that he earned for reaching the fourth round.

The USTA statement said, “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 US Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open.”

Speaking to Eurosport, former US Open champion Mats Wilander said the officials took a correct call disqualifying Djokovic from the tournament. “You’re not allowed to do that. He hit it harder than he intended to, obviously a complete accident. It was a sign of frustration, yes. A little bit. But it doesn’t matter, you’re not allowed to do it.”

A favourite to land his 18th Slam title at the Meadows, the Serb, it appears, can do with a lesson or two on anger management. 

- Advertisement -

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -