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Tennis star Novak Djokovic apologized after he accidentally hit a linesman with a ball, disqualifying him from the US Open.
The world number one and top seed had been in the running for his 18th Grand Slam win, but his title hopes were dashed after he was ejected from the fourth-round match against Pablo Carreño Busta.
Djokovic hit a ball behind him upset as he walked to the sideline after losing a game in the first set.
The woman was seen clutching her throat
The ball hit a linesman, who fell to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck.
There were several minutes of discussion with officials on the court, with Djokovic arguing his case, before it was announced that he was out of competition.
Once the decision was made, the Serbian player collected his rackets and left the court.
The star did not attend the post-match press conference, but in a post on his Instagram after the incident he said he was “very sorry.”
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he said.
“I checked the person on the lines and the tournament told me that thank God she feels good.
“I’m so sorry I caused you so much stress. So unintentionally. So bad.”
The player said he would turn the incident into a “lesson” for his “growth and evolution as a player and a human being.”
“I apologize to the @usopen tournament and all associates for my behavior,” he said.
It looked like Djokovic had no intention of hitting the linesman and was quick to see how he was doing, but players have been disqualified in the past for similar incidents.
Tournament organizers have said that Djokovic hit the ball “in a dangerous or reckless manner” with “negligence without regard to the consequences.”
In a statement, US Open officials said that he will lose all qualifying points earned and will also be fined any prize money he has won.
Djokovic will face another fine for not holding the press conference after he was seen getting into a car and leaving the site.
Novak Djokovic leaves the court after being disqualified
He was the big favorite to win the title, having not lost a game all season.
His shocking exit means there are no men left in the tournament who have previously won a Grand Slam singles title.
Second seed Dominic Thiem, who has reached Grand Slam finals three times without a win, is now the highest ranked player left.
Djokovic and the linesman who accidentally hit with a ball
Tim Henman, who was disqualified from Wimbledon 25 years ago for accidentally hitting a girl with a ball during a doubles match, said “there is no question that it is the right decision.”
Speaking on Amazon Prime, he said: “It’s amazing for me to talk about this because it happened to me at Wimbledon in 1995. It was that moment of frustration, I hit the ball when I wasn’t looking and I hit a ball on the ear.”
Djokovic has already sparked controversy this year, after he revealed he was an anti-vaxxer and staged a controversial tennis tournament that saw players without social distancing and dancing in nightclubs.
The world number one and several other players who participated in the tournament later. tested positive for coronavirus.
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