Tennis: Novak Djokovic disqualified for hitting ball at line judge at US Open
- Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a ball at a line judge in anger
- He hit the ball backwards and hit the judge in the throat and she fell to the floor
- Djokovic was disqualified and kicked out of the event under tournament rules
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Djokovic disqualified for hitting ball at line judge at US Open.
Djokovic was in the middle of a set and was about to change ends when he whacked the ball backwards and hit a line judge.
The World Number One and tournament’s favorite rushed to where the judge was, who had fallen after being hit in the throat by the ball.
After initially pleading that the woman was not seriously hurt, Djokovic eventually walked off and later apologised for ‘causing her such stress’, saying his swipe was ‘so unintended, so wrong’.
Djokovic’s actions were seen as a sign of frustration as he was behind 5-6 in the opening set against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
While Djokovic was not aiming to hit the judge, Laura Clark, the ball did hit her and she collapsed. Reports later indicated that she was not seriously hurt.
Novak Djokovic (-125), the #1 seed in the tournament just got defaulted from the US Open after hitting the line judge in the neck pic.twitter.com/dvJQgLPFfA
— Barstool Bets (@barstoolbets) September 6, 2020
Referee Soeren Friemel was summoned onto court inside the deserted Arthur Ashe Stadium by umpire Aurelie Tourte.
Djokovic was told, after a ten minutes discussion, that there was no option, he had to go.
He had looked extremely likely to add to his seventeen Major titles and had been in imperious form, boasting a 26-0 record for 2020 which may have extended to the end of this strange season.
