UPDATE: Novak Djokovic released a statement about the unfortunate incident, sharing his regret.
ORIGINAL POST
Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 tennis player in the world, was well on his way to winning a fourth US Open. He was cruising through this year's tournament and did not have Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer to compete with, as both men had opted out of this year's tournament due to the coronavirus. In fact, Djokovic had not lost a single match this whole year.
But things went awry during his competitive fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday. Djokovic had just lost a game when he took a ball out of his pocket and struck it in anger. That ball unintentionally struck a lines judge in the throat. She was in such pain that she collapsed to the ground and would later have to be taken off the court.
You can see video of the incident below.
Novak Djokovic was the #1 seed and favorite to win the US Open has been DQ’d for hitting a line judge pic.twitter.com/kgxCRoD0QP
— SportsLine (@SportsLine) September 6, 2020
Djokovic just hit a lines person in the neck with an errant ball after losing a point. And I think he knew it. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/05iVUtpQ0Z
— thehojo (@thehojo) September 6, 2020
Djokovic rushed over to the lines person to check on her, after which he pleaded with the officials to give him a penalty, instead of a default. They rejected his appeals.
BREAKING: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has been DEFAULTED from the #USOpen, during the first set of his match against Pablo Carreno Busta, after a ball he hit toward the baseline struck a linesperson. pic.twitter.com/E8JnOJ3kgK
— TENNIS (@Tennis) September 6, 2020
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For the first time in six years, men's tennis will have a first-time Slam winner.
Last Slam without at least one among Federer, Nadal or Djokovic in the semifinals was Roland Garros 2004
— enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) September 6, 2020
64 Slams ago
This ends here thanks to a world pandemic and a default.
The USTA has released a statement about the incident.
USTA statement on default of Novak Djokovic: pic.twitter.com/dqlt0mokg9
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2020
As far as tennis tournaments go, the US Open has been the most dramatic in recent years. Who can forget Serena Williams's infamous quarrel with the chair umpire during her 2018 final against Naomi Osaka, where she accused the official of being a "thief" after he accused her of cheating with her coach?
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with additional information.
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