Sunday, September 06, 2020

Novak Djokovic Ejected From U.S. Open After Accidentally Striking Lines Judge With Ball



“I want to speak to the tournament director.” #USOpen  



The referee followed the rules, so I can't dispute the ruling other than to say maybe intent should be a factor. More than anything, I can't help but think that this unfortunate incident could have been completely avoided -- and players wouldn’t have to constantly challenge calls -- if Hawkeye Live were in use on all courts. With a pandemic there was no reason to have so many people out there -- and I disagree with the commentators who say he struck the ball in anger. He was routinely sending the ball to the back of the court during a changeover. You wouldn’t have even known he’d been broken by the way he acted -- it was just bad luck.

For years I have looked forward to a new face winning a major, but this is certainly not how I hoped it would go down -- an asterisk on top of an asterisk.




Matthew Futterman: 





8 comments:

James Dwight Williamson said...

Will Hawkeye give him counseling for his arrogance and inability to accept blame in any situation, Where is his mask! Everyone else has one!

Claude Remains said...

As with any sport, if a player isn't going to respect the referee/umpire's decisions then he/she shouldn't play!!!

Kenneth M. Walsh said...

He was wearing a (Lacoste) mask every time I saw him.

J Prof said...

"But this unfortunate incident could have been completely avoided...if Hawkeye Live were in use on all courts." LOL. Yes, the absence of Hawkeye Live caused Djokovic to hit the lineswoman with the ball.

Djokovic is one of my favorite players on the tour, but he did something completely unacceptable today (regardless of his intention), and he deserved to be defaulted.

Peter said...

I want Rafa to be the king of men's majors so not unhappy with this.

Kenneth M. Walsh said...

@J Prof: You left the part where I said the referee made the right call

But YES, it could have been avoided with Hawkeye Live. With a pandemic there was no reason to have so many people on the court. And I disagree with the commentators who say he struck the ball in anger. He was routinely sending the ball to the back of the court during a changeover. You wouldn’t have even known he’d been broken by the way he acted — it was just bad luck.

nashman222 said...

The USTA could figure out how to stage matches with no humans present to avoid potential injury or players could learn to channel their anger and frustrations into less perilous actions. Djokovic was frustrated and careless. He’s always been a bit of a diva and it’s entertaining until someone gets hurt.

David K said...

he's been annoying all summer, I'm not sad to see him go. I feel like if Fed was in top form he would be there too but since he's past his prime...well it wasn't worth the effort.
don't know why a lot of them skipped when nyc has such a low covid rate...
Hope Serena wins, there might be an asterisk on her win but there is a major asterisk on Court's easy peasy non Open era wins, that gay hater!!!