BEIJING — Russian Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic after hitting a rebounding ball into the crowd, striking a spectator in the eye.
World number five Medvedev was trailing 7-5, 5-3 on Monday and had lost a point when he hit the ball coming off the wall.
The spectator, who was sitting in the first row behind Medvedev, clutched his left eye and appeared to be in pain as he walked out of the gallery, assisted by stadium staff.
Medvedev did not protest the umpire’s decision to disqualify him. The Russian will lose his points and prize money from the tournament as a result of the default.
“Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” Medvedev told reporters. “I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels.”
The 30-year-old former US Open champion said he did not cause the incident intentionally. — Reuters