Djokovic: “I’m sorry for Medvedev, I was also disqualified and it’s horrible”

The Serbian Novak Djokovic (n.11) regretted this Monday the disqualification of the Russian Daniil Medvedev (n.5) for hitting a spectator with a ball in the ATP semifinals in Beijing and stated that he knows “that feeling” from having experienced a similar situation in 2020.

“I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know that feeling. In 2020, in similar circumstances, I was also disqualified. It’s horrible,” he declared at the press conference after the match.

In the round of 16 of the 2020 US Open, Djokovic was disqualified during his match against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno after hitting a ball that hit a line judge in the neck.

The six-time champion in Beijing explained that he did not see Medvedev’s blow because, after scoring the point, he turned to look for the towel, and expressed his concern for the fan.

“I don’t know the severity of the injury. I hope it’s nothing serious,” he said. “I’m sure Daniil didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he added.

The disqualification occurred when Djokovic dominated 7-5 and 5-3, with 15-15 in the ninth game of the second set, after two hours and 17 minutes on the hard court of the Diamond center in Beijing.

The Serbian recognized that being three points away from victory did not guarantee a simple outcome, given the eighteen break point opportunities he faced, of which he saved sixteen.

“You had to work extremely hard on each point,” he explained about a duel that he described as “very, very exhausting.”

Djokovic chained his 33rd victory without defeats in Beijing and will play this Tuesday his seventh final in the tournament against the Australian Alex de Miñaur (n.9), against whom he expects to have to “run a lot”, so he will focus his efforts on recovering and arriving on the court as fresh as possible.