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After being ousted from the US Open for hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball on Sunday, Novak Djokovic has taken to Instagram to issue an apology for his behaviour.
Trailing Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the first set, Djokovic angrily hit a ball behind him, only to see it hit a line judge in the throat, causing her to drop to her knees in pain. After roughly 10 minutes of discussion with chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, tournament referee Soeren Friemel and Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli, it was announced that Djokovic was defaulted — the tennis equivalent of an ejection — bringing an end to his 29-match winning streak.
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram after the incident. “I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling OK. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy.”
“As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being,” Djokovic continued. “I apologize to the [US Open] tournament and everyone associated for my behaviour. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me.
“Thank you and I’m so sorry.”
As a result of the incident, Djokovic lost all ranking points earned at the US Open, and was fined his prize money won at the tournament.
— With files from The Associated Press