Medvedev disqualified from China Open
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BEIJING (AP):
Daniil Medvedev struck a spectator with a ball and was disqualified from his semi-final against Novak Djokovic at the China Open yesterday.
The spectator was assisted from the arena while holding a hand over his left eye.
“I feel terribly sorry for him, actually, and I just hope he’s OK,” Medvedev said. “Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.”
Djokovic was serving for the match at 7-5, 5-3 when Medvedev hit a ball into the stands in apparent frustration. After a forehand volley winner from Djokovic, the ball bounced off the advertising boards and back towards Medvedev, who struck a backhand that sailed into the front row.
“It was 100 per cent an accident,” Medvedev said. “You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger … .The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it wouldn’t go out of the court.”
Immediately after striking the spectator, Medvedev appeared to raise his left hand in apology. He remained on the court.
“When I saw the result, I felt horrible,” Medvedev said. “The most important thing is I hope that he’s OK because you never know with these types of situations.”
The chair umpire and tournament supervisor came onto the court to speak with Medvedev, who appeared to accept the decision without much argument. He then walked to the net and shook hands with Djokovic.
The incident was reminiscent of the 2020 US Open, when Djokovic was disqualified for accidentally striking a line judge in the throat with a ball.
“A bit of a shock, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match ... . I am sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.”
Medvedev has a history of on-court disciplinary issues. In April, he was fined 6,000 euros (US$7,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct after smashing his racket seven times during a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters.