Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was sensationally disqualified from the US Open on Sunday after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball in frustration during his round 4 match at Flushing Meadows.
The world number one went 5-6 down in the first set to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta when he hit a ball in the direction of the female official. It struck her in the throat and she could be heard gasping.
Djokovic rushed over to check that she was okay and after a few minutes she got up and walked off the court. Djokovic apologised for his behaviour and pleaded that he didn’t do it intentionally but the tournament officials were having none of it. Following around ten minutes of discussions with the tournament referee, the umpire declared that Carreno Busta had won by default. Djokovic shook hands with Carreno Busta before leaving the court.
The Serbian star is one of only a handful of players to be disqualified from a men’s singles tournament at a Grand Slam since John McEnroe was tossed from the Australian Open in 1990.
The Grand Slam rules state: “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.”
Djokovic had done something similar in 2016 during the French Open in Paris but fortunately for him, he escaped getting defaulted after smashing his racquet on court which fell very near a line judge.
