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The Serb had just broken to go 6-5 in the first set against Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta in New York when he struck a ball behind him. Djokovic would not have targeted anyone, but he struck the linesman, apparently close to the face, and fell to the ground.
Chair Umpire Aurelie Tourte and Djokovic went to see how he was doing before they were joined on the court by tournament referee Soeren Friemel and supervisor Andreas Egli.
Djokovic then had a lengthy conversation with Friemel before being officially suspended. The 17-time Grand Slam champion left the court almost silently as there were no fans in the stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic and left the tournament venue without speaking to the media.
“I never expected this moment playing Novak,” the 2017 US Open semifinalist told reporters on a Zoom call. “So it was also a difficult time for me.”
“Of course I think this was unintentional,” he said later. “I don’t think any of us players will do this kind of thing on purpose. It’s just the moment.
“I think it was bad luck, right? You can’t do this, but of course I think Novak never, ever wants to hit the linesman.”
According to the rules, a default seemed the only outcome even if the intention was not there, although Slovenian Aljaz Bedene escaped from default last week at the Western & Southern Open in New York when he hit a ball in frustration and hit a cameraman in the stands.
“Players will not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or other person within the venue of the tournament site,” according to the Grand Slam rule book.
Djokovic had no recourse as the Grand Slam rule book states that, “in all cases of non-compliance, the referee’s decision in consultation with the Grand Slam chief supervisors will be final and unappealable.”
Later on Sunday, the US Tennis Association issued a statement regarding Djokovic’s firing: “According to the Grand Slam rule book, after his actions of intentionally striking a ball in a dangerous or reckless manner on the court or hitting a ball regardless of the consequences, the US Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open. Because he was overdue, Djokovic will lose all qualifying points earned in the US Open and will be fined the prize money won in the tournament in addition to any or all fines imposed in connection with the criminal incident. “
Djokovic won $ 250,000 in prize money by reaching the fourth round.
Hectic minutes for Djokovic
Moments earlier, Djokovic had hit a ball in frustration when he failed to convert three set points at 5-4, but did not receive a ball abuse warning. Then he fell in the 11th game, and appeared to injure his left shoulder.
The coach went out to visit the 17-time Grand Slam winner in the middle of the game before Djokovic returned to the court.
In the past, Djokovic received ball abuse warnings and was asked about his conduct on the court at press conferences. It happened at the 2016 French Open when he bounced his racket in frustration in a quarter-final win against Tomas Berdych.
The racket spun back and a linesman had to react quickly to get out of the way. If he hadn’t, Djokovic could have been disqualified. Djokovic later admitted that he was “lucky.”
“I am aware that I have been lucky, and I apologize to the people who have been in this particular situation with me and who could have been injured by my racket,” he said. “But it was never intended. It was just an unfortunate rebound, but a lucky ending to that scenario.”
Still, with all that, Djokovic was the big favorite to win the men’s title at the US Open. He had not lost a match in 2020 and his two biggest rivals, Federer and Rafael Nadal, do not play in the tournament. An 18th major would have put him two behind Federer, who is recovering from knee surgery, for the all-time male lead and one behind Nadal.
Defaults in tennis, especially Grand Slams, are extremely rare. It happened to former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman when he hit a ball and it hit a ball at the grass-court Grand Slam in 1995.
John McEnroe was defaulted for several violations, not one, as in Djokovic’s case, in a match at the Australian Open in 1990.
At a 2012 ATP tournament in London, David Nalbandian was excluded from the final when he kicked an advertising board that later hit a linesman. And Denis Shapovalov, who faces David Goffin in Sunday’s night session at the Open, was breached when he hit a referee in the eye with a ball at Davis Cup in 2017.
