Medvedev defaulted from China Open after ball hits spectator
Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from his China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic after accidentally hitting a spectator in the face with a ball. Djokovic, who suffered a similar disqualification in 2020, expressed sympathy for both the fan and Medvedev.
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semi-final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic following an incident in which a ball struck a spectator in the face.
Djokovic was leading the match 7-5, 5-3 when Medvedev reacted angrily after his opponent won a point to level at 15-15 in the third set. The ball had bounced off the back wall of the court, and a frustrated Medvedev swatted it away with his racquet, sending it flying into the stands. It struck a fan sitting in the front row directly behind him.
The spectator doubled over in pain, clutching his face and eye, and needed assistance to leave the arena.
Default confirmed
After a discussion with umpire Mohamed Lahyani and an ATP official, Medvedev walked to the net to shake hands with Djokovic, confirming that the match had ended in his default.
Notably, Djokovic himself experienced a comparable situation in 2020, when he was defaulted from the US Open after inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball.
Speaking afterwards, the Serbian star said he was shocked by what had happened and hoped the injured fan would not suffer lasting harm. He added that he also felt sympathy for Medvedev, saying he understood exactly how it felt to be disqualified from a major match, and that he was certain his opponent had not meant to cause the incident.
