Daniil Medvedev has issued an apology after hitting a spectator with a ball during his match against Novak Djokovic at the China Open.
Medvedev was defaulted against Djokovic for his actions, which came when the Serbian was leading the Russian 7-5, 5-3. Djokovic was closing in on victory when Medvedev hit an out-of-play ball into the stands, which appeared to strike a spectator in the face.
Along with being disqualified from the semifinal, Medvedev will be forced to give up the ATP ranking points and prize money that he was set to earn for his lengthy run at the China Open. The experienced player has now apologised for the incident, sharing his remorse at what happened, along with his sympathy for the fan involved.
READ MORE: Shocked Novak Djokovic reacts after Daniil Medvedev is disqualified from their match in Beijing
Daniil Medvedev apologises after China Open default vs Novak Djokovic
When speaking to the media in Beijing right after the match, Medvedev was asked for his feelings on the incident. “Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” he replied. “I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologise in person and see how he feels.”
And confirming if it was an accident, he said: “Yeah, I mean, 100% accident. You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger. Actually I do a lot of bad things, but usually ball abuse is not my thing. The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to, like, just hit it anywhere, so it doesn’t go out from the court.
“When I saw the result, I mean, I felt horrible because, again, I don’t think I was ever close to such a situation. So yeah, the most important, I hope that he’s okay because you never know with these types of situations.”
And sharing what was going through his mind in the heat of the moment, Medvedev commented: “No, it was a horrible feeling because, again, that’s not what I usually do. I didn’t want to hit… I mean, you can see that there is zero anger in this moment. It’s not especially frustration. I don’t hit it hard. Yeah, it hit him.
“I feel terribly sorry for him actually because, again, I just hope he’s okay. That’s the most important. The rest we move on. I just really care about him right now. Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.”
It’s certainly the right attitude from Medvedev, who deserves praise for speaking openly about the issue and doing his best to rectify it as soon as possible. It is, of course, reminiscent of Djokovic at the 2020 US Open, when the Serbian was defaulted for accidentally hitting a ball at a line judge.
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Daniil Medvedev praises ‘incredible’ Novak Djokovic display in Beijing
Medvedev was also tasked with discussing the match itself after all of the drama, with the Russian full of praise for his Serbian counterpart. He said of their clash in Beijing: “Was a tough match for me. He played really well. I felt like he played like when we played the best matches. I had some opportunities, which I missed. Yeah, he played incredible. So I think he has big chances in the final.”
That final will be against Alex de Minaur, who also had his China Open semifinal cut short. He was, however, also leading when Hubert Hurkacz retired hurt at 6-4, 3-2. A win for Djokovic would represent the first title of his 2026 season, but the 102nd of his sensational career. Meanwhile, De Minaur could win his second title this year, and the 12th of his career.
