Event on course for new champ
A petulant swipe at the ball after having his serve broken brought a sensational end to Novak Djokovic’s US Open on Sunday after the world number one was disqualified for striking a line judge in the throat.
With defending champion Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer absent this year and no other former winners of the major four tournaments left in the men’s draw, Flushing Meadows is now guaranteed to welcome a new member into the Grand Slam champions club.
The dramatic moment came when the title favourite reacted angrily to going 5-6 down to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the first set of their fourthround encounter at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.
What would have been an innocuous incident, had the ball flown a foot 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.
A tournament spokesperson said the line judge appeared to be OK and had not been brought off-site. Her identity is not known.
Djokovic eventually walked over to shake hands with a stunned Carreno Busta and trudged off the court before leaving the grounds without attending a press conference.
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 the (US Open) and everyone associated for my behaviour.”
Extraordinary even in a year when the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the sporting world, the disqualification ended Djokovic’s 26match winning streak in 2020 and what, at times, looked like a charge towards his 18th Grand Slam title.
That would have brought him within one title of Nadal’s tally of 19 and two of Federer’s record 20 major triumphs.
The USTA said Djokovic would lose all the ranking points earned from the event and be fined $250,000 (R4m) — his prize money for reaching round four.
“It’s the right decision,” Tim Henman, who was disqualified from Wimbledon for a similar incident in 1995, said.
“He did not aim for the line judge, but hit the ball away and you have to be responsible for your actions.”
Djokovic’s humiliating exit continues what has been a turbulent few months for him off court. He was criticised for organising the Adria Tour exhibition event in June in which he and several players tested positive for Covid-19.
He then dropped a bombshell on the eve of the US Open by announcing he had resigned as president of the ATP Player Council to front a new players’ association.
Djokovic will have to get used to being the “bad guy” after his disqualification, American great John McEnroe said.
McEnroe, whose own behaviour frequently landed him in hot water with officials during his playing career, said Djokovic had buckled under the pressure.
“The pressure just got to him. It obviously affected him and whether he likes it or not, he’s going to be the bad guy for the rest of his career.
“If he embraces that role, I think he could recover. He’s got a lot of things going for him, but this is a stain that he’s not going to be able to erase.” —