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Disqualification of Novak Djokovic it also causes a sensation among US Open players. The basic tenor: “Without intention, but those are the rules.”
by Michael Rothschädl
Last edition: September 07, 2020, 8:10 p.m.
When Aurelie Tourte, main referee of the round of 16 duel between Pablo Carreño Busta and Novak Djokovic, spoke the words: “By default, Mr. Djokovic”, it was clear that this match would make waves. Novak Djokovic, world number one, undefeated in 2020, the big favorite for the title at the US Open had failed, not athletically, but on his own.
The biggest beneficiary, if we break it down purely from the sporting point of view, is called Pablo Carreño Busta. The Iberian, who could have overcome Djokovic’s hurdle with difficulty, who was considered a blatant outsider despite breaking the lead in the first set, suddenly found himself in the US Open quarter-finals. He also sees it as a very unfortunate situation, yes, Carreño Busta assured after his match. “I don’t think it was intentional. I don’t think any of the players are doing this kind of thing on purpose,” the Spaniard said. “The referee and the supervisor did the right thing, but it is not easy to do.”
Alexander Zverev is also in that half of the picture where he was number one in the world. Like his possible semi-final rival Pablo Carreño Busta, the German sees it as an unfortunate situation, but the referees, according to Zverev, are simply doing their job. “I think he will be a bit upset,” said the world number seven, assessing Djokovic’s reaction.
Borna Coric, who can also be found in the Djokovic half, hits the same line. “If he had been five centimeters more to the left, nothing would have happened. I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, the rules are like that. I think he should have been disqualified,” said the Croatian.
Here’s our current podcast on the topic:
Becker visibly moved
Television experts also react to the incident, Boris Becker was visibly shaken on Eurosport’s live coverage, he said that he was personally deeply affected as he had worked with the industry leader for a long time. Mats Wilander also assesses events, such as active players, sees it as a no-go, regardless of whether it is intentional or not. “It hit him harder than he wanted, obviously a complete accident. It was a sign of frustration, yes. A little. But that doesn’t matter, he can’t do that.”
One man who can really get into the Serbian world of thought is Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian himself was disqualified for a similar defection in a Davis Cup match in 2017, when Shapovalov knocked down the chair umpire. The Canadian is now reacting sympathetically to the Djokovic case: “I’ve been through that already. I feel terrible for Djokovic.”
And finally, Naomi Osaka also made a comment about Djokovic’s dropouts. The Japanese had only been able to fix her win over Anett Kontaveit in the early hours of the morning and said after reaching the quarter-finals: “It’s definitely a warning to never do that.”
This is how Novak Djokovic reacted to the situation.
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