Novak Djokovic hits ball at US Open line judge: How the incident unfolded, what was said...

[ASFN Admin]

Novak Djokovic apologised after being defaulted from the US Open for accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball struck in annoyance. The top seed and 17-time grand slam champion had just dropped serve to trail Spanish opponent Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the opening set of their fourth-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium when the incident occurred. How the incident unfolded Djokovic, who had missed three set points at 5-4 before hurting his shoulder in a fall, hit a ball behind him without looking that struck a female line judge in the throat. The line judge collapsed to the court and could be heard gasping for air as Djokovic rushed over to check on her condition. Djokovic pleaded his case during lengthy discussions with tournament referee Soeren Friemel and grand slam supervisor Andreas Egli, but the officials' mind was made up.

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