An unfortunate incident cut short the China Open semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic on Monday, when a ball Medvedev hit in frustration struck a spectator in the face. The match ended on the spot, with Medvedev defaulted, and the Russian did not argue the call. He shook hands and walked off, carrying the guilt with him as he left the court. 

According to a report from journalist Lorenzo Ercoli of Corriere dello Sport and Spazio Tennis, Medvedev went to the hospital to apologize to the fan in person. He allegedly presented a signed racquet with the words “I am sorry” written on it. The spectator is reportedly in good condition with no serious injuries, but the Russian has declined to provide further details about his condition. 

The incident came with Medvedev trailing 7-5, 5-3. After Djokovic hit a forehand volley winner, the ball rebounded off the advertising boards, and Medvedev smacked a backhand that sailed into the stands. It hit a first-row spectator in the left eye, and the man left the stadium with the help of staff and medical personnel. 

Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani came down to assess the situation, and then made a combined decision with the tournament officials to default Medvedev under the ball abuse rule. In addition to losing 200 ranking points, the $220,000 prize money earned during the tournament had to be forfeited, acting as a form of fine. Medvedev’s apology began before he had left the venue.

“I’m so sorry for the spectator, first of all. I’m trying to get in touch with him if he wants. I hope I can apologize in person and understand how he feels,” he said in the mixed zone. “It was a 100% accident. You can see that I didn’t hit the ball angrily. I actually do a lot of things wrong, but usually throwing the ball is not like me.” 

He added that the spectator’s health was the only thing that mattered to him, and that he hoped to meet him soon, which he finally did.

Djokovic’s empathy and the what-if hanging over the semifinal

Djokovic, on the other side of the net, was familiar with Medvedev’s situation. He was disqualified from the 2020 US Open after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball. 

“I was shocked, to be honest. I hope that person is not badly injured,” he said afterward. “On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. I’m sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally.”

It is impossible to know how the match would have ended without the default. Djokovic led by a set and a break, and he has never lost in Beijing, so the odds were clearly in his favor. However, the former world No. 1 has a long history of bouncing back in matches, which is why the question lingers. 

Medvedev has beaten Djokovic five times, and Djokovic leads their head-to-head 10-5. One of those wins came in the 2021 US Open final, a straight-set victory that stopped the Serbian from being the second man to win a career Grand Slam in the Open Era. Moreover, Medvedev became only the fifth person at that time to beat Djokovic in his 31 Grand Slam final appearances. 

Another came in the 2019 Cincinnati semifinals, where he rallied from a set down and went on to win his first Masters 1000 title. Four of his five wins over Djokovic came on hard courts, which is Medvedev’s best surface. He had arrived in Beijing seven matches into a winning streak after taking the Hangzhou title, his 22nd on hard courts, a total that puts him level with John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang for the 11th most in the Open Era and ahead of Andy Roddick.

The Russian will head to Shanghai for the penultimate Masters of the season with a fresh mindset as he has dealt with his guilt.