Novak Djokovic out of US Open for accidentally hitting line judge with ball
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Novak Djokovic, the clear favorite for the men’s singles title at the US Open, is out of the competition via a default.
Djokovic hits line judge after bad run
Djokovic attempts to plead case
Official Lars Graff reportedly stood firm, telling Djokovic "If she would have gotten up right away...” per Rothenberg. The line judge dropped to her knees on the hit near the back of the court and reached for her neck.
Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte made the announcement to an empty stadium — no fans are allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — after Djokovic went over to shake hands with Carreno Busta.
Djokovic will lose all ranking points and be fined the prize money he won for reaching the round of 16, per the USTA statement.
Only two courts have line judges this time around as the tournament organizers attempt to keep the number of people in the arenas at a minimum due to the pandemic. Calls on other courts are being made electronically.
US Open will have first-time Grand Slam winner
Djokovic was the favorite for the US Open men’s singles title since fellow star competitors Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had opted out due to the pandemic.
The victor will now be a first-time winner. It’s the first time since 2014, when Marin Cilic won the US Open, that a Grand Slam will have a first-time trophy winner.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have won 52 of the past 61 majors, per the Associated Press. The only non-“Big 3” competitor to win a major since 2017 is Stan Wawrinka, who won the 2016 US Open.
And the last time there was a Grand Slam without at least one of them as a semifinalist was at the 2004 French Open.
More from Yahoo Sports:
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Novak Djokovic, the clear favorite for the men’s singles title at the US Open, is out of the competition via a default.
Djokovic hits line judge after bad run
Djokovic attempts to plead case
Official Lars Graff reportedly stood firm, telling Djokovic "If she would have gotten up right away...” per Rothenberg. The line judge dropped to her knees on the hit near the back of the court and reached for her neck.
Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte made the announcement to an empty stadium — no fans are allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — after Djokovic went over to shake hands with Carreno Busta.
Djokovic will lose all ranking points and be fined the prize money he won for reaching the round of 16, per the USTA statement.
Only two courts have line judges this time around as the tournament organizers attempt to keep the number of people in the arenas at a minimum due to the pandemic. Calls on other courts are being made electronically.
US Open will have first-time Grand Slam winner
Djokovic was the favorite for the US Open men’s singles title since fellow star competitors Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had opted out due to the pandemic.
The victor will now be a first-time winner. It’s the first time since 2014, when Marin Cilic won the US Open, that a Grand Slam will have a first-time trophy winner.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have won 52 of the past 61 majors, per the Associated Press. The only non-“Big 3” competitor to win a major since 2017 is Stan Wawrinka, who won the 2016 US Open.
And the last time there was a Grand Slam without at least one of them as a semifinalist was at the 2004 French Open.
More from Yahoo Sports: