Daniil Medvedev disqualified against Novak Djokovic after controversial fan incident
The Russian player was down 7-5, 5-3 with Djokovic serving for the match at 15-15, when world No 5 Medvedev failed to reach a Djokovic winner.
The ball then rebounded off the backboard and Medvedev hit the ball into the face of a fan sitting in the front row, who clutched his eye in pain and was taken away from the court.
🚨The moment when Medvedev got disqualified at the @ChinaOpen. pic.twitter.com/5GllzQvZsG
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 5, 2026
Chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani, after discussion with an ATP official, then defaulted 30-year-old Medvedev, in scenes not dissimilar to Novak Djokovic’s disqualification from the 2020 US Open – when the Serb hit a line umpire with the ball.
“It’s a bit of a shock to be honest, I hope that person is not badly injured,” Djokovic said.
“I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I am sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally.”
It means Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur in Tuesday’s final in Beijing.
More to follow…
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.