NOVAK DJOKOVIC DISQUALIFIED FROM US OPEN FOR HITTING LINE JUDGE IN THE NECK WITH A TENNIS BALL
Tennis top-seed, Novak Djokovic has been disqualified from the U.S Open at the fourth round after he accidentally hit a line judge in the neck with a tennis ball on Sunday, September 6th, 2020.
His disqualification was announced in a statement released by the US Tennis Association (USTA).
"In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the US Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open," the USTA said.
It also said Djokovic will lose all ranking points earned at the US Open and will be fined the prize money won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident.
The Serbian’s disqualification brings an end to his bid for an 18th Grand Slam title and his 26-0 start to this season.
Novak Djokovic, 33, emerged at the US Open as overwhelming favorites with 2019 champion, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, world Number four Tennis player, out of the tournament.
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But it all came apart at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, when Djokovic had just lost a game to his opponent, Pablo Carreno Busta, to fall behind 6-5 in the first set.
As he walked to the sideline for the changeover, Djokovic smacked a ball behind him. The ball hit the line judge who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck.
"I think the supervisors and all them are just doing their job, but very unlucky for Novak," said Alexander Zverev, the tournament's Number 5-seeded man, who reached the quarterfinals by winning Sunday.
The 2020 US Open, which had no spectators, is the first Grand Slam tournament to be played this year since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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