‘Big Three’ rule ends
Djokovic exit ensures crowning of a first-time champion
NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic’s sensational exit from the US Open has ended the Grand Slam reign of the “Big Three” of men’s tennis while ensuring a first-time major champion at Flushing Meadows.
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal skipping the tournament, Djokovic was hot favourite to claim an 18th Grand Slam title, but his disqualification for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball has thrown the tournament wide open.
Not since Stan Wawrinka’s 2016 US Open triumph has a Grand Slam been won by someone other than the “Big Three”, winners of the last 13 major titles.
To find the last Slam without either Djokovic, Federer or Nadal in the quarter-finals requires a much deeper dive into the record books, landing at the 2004 French Open where Federer was stopped in the third round by Gustavo Kuerten.
On Sunday, Djokovic’s rivals expressed shock and some sympathy for the Serb, who was defaulted when trailing 6-5 in the first set against Pablo Carreno Busta.
What would have been an innocuous incident had the ball flown either side of the official instead left her lying on the ground, clutching her throat and screaming in pain.
There was no question that Djokovic hit her inadvertently, and he quickly rushed to apologise, but it was a clear breach of Grand Slam rules forbidding the physical abuse of anyone within the tournament precincts.
Tournament referee Soeren Friemel came out and spoke to chair umpire Aurelie Tourte and Andreas Egli, the Grand Slam supervisor, before a long chat with the threetime US Open champion.
“I don’t think that there was any chance of any opportunity or any other decision than defaulting
Novak,” Friemel later told reporters.
“The facts were so clear and so obvious ... (the line judge) was clearly hurt and Novak was angry, he hit the ball recklessly, angrily back.”
A tournament spokesman said the line judge appeared to be okay and was “not brought off-site”. Her identity is not known.
The 33-year-old Serbian later posted an apology on Instagram.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he wrote. “I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.
“I apologise to everyone associated for my behaviour.” Yet those left standing in the men’s draw may be privately thrilled about their chances of claiming the trophy.
“Now I think is the time where it gets really interesting,” said fifth seed Alexander Zverev, who thrashed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
Zverev meets Croatian 27th seed Borna Coric in the quarter-finals and could have faced Djokovic in the semis.
Second seed Thiem, who stopped Zverev at Melbourne Park and pushed Djokovic to five sets in the final, is the major threat on the other half of the draw.