New York: World’s number one Novak Djokovic has been disqualified from the 2020 US Open (tennis) after unintentionally hitting the line judge.
The Serb was playing his fourth-round match against Spain’s Pablo CarrenoBusta. After losing the serve, Djokovic was trailing 5-6 against his Spanish counterpart. Amidst his frustration, he took the ball out of his pocket and threw it behind, accidentally hitting the line judge on her throat.
Djokovic quickly checked on her and apologized. After a lengthy discussion, he was disqualified from the tournament as per the rules.
Djokovic did not object to the decision and left the court with a sad face after realizing his mistake.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote on an Instagram post. “I checked on the line person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress.”
He also added, “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.”
The US Tennis Association has stated that Djokovic will lose all the ranking points he gained during the tournament and will be fined the prize money won at the tournament, with the possibility of facing additional fines in the future.
Novak Djokovic has won 17 grand slams, the third-most in the history of a male player, only behind his counterparts Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (19).
Djokovic won the US Open thrice in 2011, 2015, and 2018, respectively.
