Novak Djokovic has issued an apology following his disqualification from the US Open for hitting a linesperson with a ball. Pablo Carreno Busta will now play in the quarter finals.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has issued an apology following his disqualification from the US Open. The world number one was disqualified after unintentionally hitting a linesperson with a ball during his fourth-round match with Pablo Carreno Busta. The Spaniard now progresses to the US Open quarter-finals.
US Open: Novak Djokovic apologises after disqualification
Djokovic blew three set points before his serve was broken and he went 5-6 behind. He then took a ball out of his pocket and unintentionally fired it in frustration at the linesperson.
Djokovic went over to check on the linesperson, who left the court following the incident.
After a discussion with the umpire, Djokovic left the court after being told of his disqualification. He did not attend his post-match press conference.
Djokovic has now commented on the incident on Instagram. He wrote, “This whole situation has left me really sad and empty, I checked on the linesperson 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. I apologise to the US Open tournament and everyone associated with my behaviour. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I’m so sorry.”
The 33-year-old will be fined all of the prize money that he has won so far in this year’s tournament. This is in accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook. The rules stipulate that a player can be disqualified for intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences. For this reason the US Open tournament referee disqualified Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open.
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