Novak Djokovic Disqualified From US Open After Hitting Line Judge With Ball

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Novak Djokovic 2020 US Open - Day 7

Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 tennis player in the world and heavy favorite to win the U.S. Open, was disqualified from the tournament on Sunday (September 06, 2020) after he inadvertently struck a line judge with a tennis ball in an act of frustration.

While heading to the bench for a changeover, Djokovic struck a ball behind him in frustration after losing a game, hitting a line judge who fell to her knees but was not injured.

After discussion between officials, Djokovic was disqualified, sending his match opponent Carreno Busta to the quarterfinals.

As the story developed, his expulsion from the U.S. Open sparked debate from ESPNโ€™s commentators for hours.

The United States Tennis Association issued a statement on the incident, explaining that Djokovicโ€™s actions fall within the rules of disqualification.

Novak Djokovic 2020 US Open - Day 7
Novak Djokovic of Serbia tends to a lineswoman after inadvertently striking her with a ball hit in frustration during his Menโ€™s Singles fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain on Day Seven of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. Djokovic was defaulted from the match. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

โ€œIn 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 U.S. Open tournament referee default Djokovic from the 2020 U.S. Open,โ€ the statement read.

โ€œBecause he was defaulted, Djokovic will lose all ranking points he earned at the U.S. Open and will be fined the prize money he won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident.โ€

Djokovic took to social media to share his response:

This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. Iโ€˜m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. Iโ€™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 apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. Iโ€™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 Iโ€™m so sorry.

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This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. Iโ€˜m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. Iโ€™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 apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. Iโ€™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 Iโ€™m so sorry. Cela ova situacija me ฤini zaista tuลพnim i praznim. Proverio sam kako se oseฤ‡a linijski sudija, i prema informacijama koje sam dobio, oseฤ‡a se dobro, hvala Bogu. Njeno ime ne mogu da otkrijem zbog oฤuvanja njene privatnosti. Jako mi je ลพao ลกto sam joj naneo takav stres. Nije bilo namerno. Bilo je pogreลกno. ลฝelim da ovo neprijatno iskustvo, diskvalifikaciju sa turnira, pretvorim u vaลพnu ลพivotnu lekciju, kako bih nastavio da rastem i razvijam se kao ฤovek, ali i teniser. Izvinjavam se organizatorima US Opena. Veoma sam zahvalan svom timu i porodici ลกto mi pruลพaju snaลพnu podrลกku, kao i mojim navijaฤima jer su uvek uz mene. Hvala vam i ลพao mi je. Bio je ovo teลพak dan za sve.

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