No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic was been defaulted from the U.S. Open after inadvertently hitting a line official with a ball during his Round of 16 match.
No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic was forced to default from the US Open on Sunday after hitting a line official with a tennis ball during his Round of 16 match.
The incident occurred after Djokovic smacked a ball toward the sideline and it inadvertently hit a lineswoman in the head/neck area and she fell to her knees. Djokovic immediately walked over to the woman and attempted to plead his case with officials about the accident, but the world top-ranked tennis player was ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
Djokovic had just dropped a game in the first set against No. 20 seed Pablo Carreño Busta in the Round of 16 when he hit the ball out of frustration. Entering the U.S. Open, Djokovic was 26–0 on the year and competing for his 18th Grand Slam title.
“I think the supervisors and all them are just doing their job, but very unlucky for Novak,” No. 5 seed Alexander Zverev said on Sunday. “If it would have landed anywhere else—we’re talking a few inches—-he would have been fine.”
Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 in June after participating in a tennis exhibition tournament. He confirmed in August that he would participate in the U.S. Open after originally complaining about the U.S. Tennis Association’s plans to try to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic, with such measures as limiting the size of players’ entourages.
“It was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides, but the prospect of competing again makes me really excited," Djokovic said.
No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem plays his Round of 16 match against No. 15 seed Felix Auger Aliassime on Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. EST. Djokovic defeated Thiem for the Australian Open title in February.