Novak Djokovic was kicked’ out of the U.S. Open for accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball after dropping a game in his fourth-round match Sunday, a stunning end to his 29-match winning streak and bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.
As he walked
to the Arthur Ashe Stadium sideline for a changeover, trailing Pablo Carreno
Busta 6-5 in the first set, Djokovic - who was seeded and ranked No. 1 and an
overwhelming favorite for the championship - angrily smacked a ball behind him.
The ball flew right at the line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of
the court and reached for her neck.
During a
discussion of about 10 minutes near the net involving tournament referee Soeren
Friemel, Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli and chair umpire Aurelie Tourte,
Djokovic pleaded his case.
''His point
was that he didn't hit the line umpire intentionally. He said, `Yes, I was
angry. I hit the ball. I hit the line umpire. The facts are very clear. But it
wasn't my intent. I didn't do it on purpose.' So he said he shouldn't be
defaulted for it,'' said Friemel, who made the decision to end the match. ''And
we all agree that he didn't do it on purpose, but the facts are still that he
hit the line umpire and the line umpire was clearly hurt.''
Friemel
didn't see what happened, and said he was not allowed to check a video replay,
but was given a rundown by Egli and Tourte. Friemel said that even if Djokovic
didn't intend to hurt the line judge, she was hurt, and that was enough to
merit the ruling.
Eventually,
Djokovic walked over to shake hands with Carreno Busta. Tourte then announced
that Djokovic was defaulted, the tennis equivalent of an ejection.
''I was a
little bit in shock, no?'' Carreno Busta said later at a news conference done
via video conference because of social-distancing rules at the U.S. Open, the
first Grand Slam tournament staged amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Djokovic
quickly left the tournament grounds without speaking to reporters, posting an
apology on social media hours later.
''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. I`m extremely sorry to
have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong,'' Djokovic wrote.
''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,'' he wrote. ''I apologize to the (at) us open tournament and everyone
associated for my behavior.''
Asked
whether he thought Djokovic should have been allowed’ to continue to play,
Carreno Busta shrugged and replied: ''Well, the rules are the rules. ... The
referee and the supervisor (did) the right thing, but it's not easy to do it.''
Indeed, the
U.S. Tennis Association issued a statement saying that Friemel defaulted
Djokovic ''in 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 USTA
went on to say Djokovic forfeits the ranking points and $250,000 in prize money
he earned in the tournament - ''in addition to any or all fines levied with
respect to the offending incident.''
''Novak was
angry. He hit the ball recklessly, angrily back. And taking everything into
consideration, there was no discretion involved,'' Friemel said. ''Defaulting a
player at a Grand Slam is a very important, very tough decision. And for that
reason, it doesn't matter if it's on Ashe, if it's No. 1, or any other player
on any other court, you need to get it right.''
This was the
latest example of Djokovic finding himself at the center of the tennis world
for a reason other than his best-in-the-game returns, can't-miss groundstrokes
and body-contorting defensive prowess.
Djokovic
tested positive for the coronavirus - as did his wife, one of his coaches and
other players - after participating in a series of exhibition matches with zero
social distancing he organized in Serbia and Croatia in June.
Then, on the
eve of the U.S. Open, he helped establish a new association he says will
represent men's tennis players.
And, of
course, there's been his dominance on the court.
Djokovic
began the day 26-0 this season and with an unbeaten run that extended to his
last three matches of 2019. He had won five of the past seven Grand Slam
tournaments to raise his total to 17, closing in on rivals Roger Federer, who
has a men's-record 20, and Rafael Nadal, who has 19.
With
reigning U.S. Open champion Nadal, who cited concerns about traveling amid the
pandemic, and Federer, sidelined after two knee operations, not in the field,
the 33-year-old from Serbia was expected to claim a fourth trophy in New York
and gain on them.
But Sunday came suddenly. Djokovic was not
looking in the judge's direction when his racket hit the ball, and as soon as
he realized what had happened, a look of concern appeared on his face.
Players who hit the ball angrily in the
past and contacted a court official have been disqualified’ in the past.
In 2017, 21-year-old Canadian who is Carreno Busta next rival, Denis Dapu Shalov, suffered a Davis Cup match defeat
against Great Britain when he accidentally hit the chair umpire in the face
with a ball. At Wimbledon in 1995, Tim Henman hit a ball to the head of a ball
girl and lost the doubles match.
"I am going through it myself.
Honestly, I felt terrible for that. I feel terrible for everyone. No one wants
to be in this situation. "Just a flock. These are such accidents. It's the
same with me. ''
No. 5 seed Alexander Zverev, who will face
No. 27 Borna Coric in the second quarterfinal in the second half of the draw,
is called Djokovic. '
"If it had landed somewhere else -
we're talking a few inches - it would have been fine." "
The big problem with the 2020 US Open,
which has no spectators, is that only the two biggest arenas - Ashe and Louis
Armstrong Stadium - have a full line of judges. Elsewhere, chair umpires are
assisted by an electronic line calling system.
Djokovic mood had intensified over the
past few minutes on Sunday. In the previous game, he lost three consecutive
break points, then flicked the ball over the court-out advertising sign.
At the second point of what would be Djokovic
last game at this year's US Open, he stumbled and fell, grabbing his left
shoulder.
The game was delayed’ for a few minutes
while a coach checked it.
On the second point after the resumption,
20th seed Carreno Busta hit the passing winner to break Djokovic services. At
that moment, Djokovic got into trouble.
His departure means that there is no one
left in the field who has won the Grand Slam singles title. Anyone who has
emerged as a champion will win a trophy for the first time in men's tennis
since 2014, when Marin Cilic won the US Open.
Also, each of the last 13 Grand Slam
trophies was won by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic Big Three member.
"It was definitely not our new Grand
Slam champion," Shapovalov said before taking notes. "Winning every
tournament with these three boys is very boring. ''
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