Stunning Open default
Top seed Djokovic out of U. S. Open after accidentally hitting line judge with ball.
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic was kicked out of the U. S. Open for accidentally hitting a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball after dropping a game in his fourth- round match Sunday, a stunning end to his 29match winning streak and bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.
As he walked to the Arthur Ashe Stadium sideline for a changeover, trailing Pablo Carreño Busta 6- 5 in the first set, Djokovic — who was seeded and ranked No. 1 and an overwhelming favorite for the championship — angrily smacked a ball behind him. The ball flew right at the line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck.
During a discussion of about 10 minutes near the net involving tournament referee Soeren Friemel, Grand
Slam supervisor Andreas Egli and chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, Djokovic pleaded his case.
“His point was that he didn’t hit the line umpire intentionally. He said, ‘ Yes, I was angry. I hit the ball. I hit the line umpire. The facts are very clear. But it wasn’t my intent. I didn’t do it on purpose.’ So he said he shouldn’t be defaulted for it,” said Friemel, who made the decision to end the match. “And we all agree that he didn’t do it on purpose, but the facts are still that he hit the line umpire and the line umpire was clearly hurt.”
Djokovic’s mood had soured over the preceding few minutes Sunday. In the previous game, he wasted three consecutive break points, then whacked a ball off a courtside advertising sign.
His departure means there is no man left in the field who has won a Grand Slam singles title.