Beijing, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Daniil Medvedev expressed deep regret after accidentally hitting a spectator with a ball during his China Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic, an incident that led to his default and sent the Serbian star into the final.
Medvedev was trailing 5-7, 3-5 and the ninth game was tied at 15-15 when he instinctively struck the ball towards the stands after it bounced back to him from a wall. The ball hit a spectator near the left eye, following which Medvedev was defaulted and Djokovic advanced to the final.
“I feel terribly sorry for him actually, and I just hope he’s okay,” Medvedev said after the incident. “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.”
The 2021 US Open champion described the incident as an accident and said there was no intention to hit the ball in anger.
“It was 100 per cent an accident,” Medvedev said. “You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger. The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it wouldn’t go out of the court.”
Medvedev said he felt “horrible” after seeing the spectator being struck and stressed that the fan’s condition was his primary concern.
The Russian is also set to forfeit his prize money from the tournament over the incident, with the financial loss potentially exceeding USD 220,000.
Reflecting on the match, Medvedev praised Djokovic for his performance and acknowledged that the Serbian had been close to dropping the game before the incident.
“It was a tough match for me,” Medvedev said. “He played really well. I felt he played like when we played our best matches. I had some opportunities, which I missed. He played incredibly, so I think he has big chances in the final.”
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