Novak Djokovic almost got himself disqualified in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday. Thankfully, his frustrated shot only almost a the ball kid, and the Serb quickly reacted with an apology for the incident.
Djokovic has been delivering stunning performances in Melbourne so far, and is yet to lose a set. After dominating the first two rounds, the 38-year-old also excelled in his third-round clash against Botic van de Zandschulp on January 23 at the Rod Laver Arena. The Serb secured a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) win to secure his spot in the fourth round.
However, this match could have taken a different turn had his shot struck a ball kid in the second set. After his opponent sent a shot long, the 24-time Grand Slam champion went for a frustrated lash-out to the left, one that went very close to hitting the ball kid near the net.
Fortunately for Djokovic, history didn’t repeat itself, as he had faced a similar incident at the 2020 US Open, where his ball actually hit aline judge and he was disqualified in the fourth round. Following his third-round triumph at Melbourne, he sat for a press conference, where he was questioned about the incident. Apologising for his strong shot, he said:
“Yeah, I apologize for that. Yeah, that was that was not necessary and in the heat of the moment and I, yeah, I was lucky there and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody,” said Novak Djokovic.
The fourth-round win was Djokovic’s 400th Grand Slam win, making him the first player to achieve this feat.
What did Novak Djokovic say after his fourth-round disqualification at the 2020 US Open?
After destroying three players in the 2020 US Open, Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round, where he faced Pablo Carreno Busto. While the first set was ongoing, he hit a ball backwards that ended up hitting a line judge in the neck. The Serb rushed to check up on her, and the match was brought to an end, leading to his disqualification.
Following this unfortunate incident, he penned a heartfelt apology on his Instagram, where he revealed that the mishap left him ‘sad and empty.” Explaining the situation, he wrote:
“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. 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,” said Novak Djokovic.
He added:
“I apologize to the Us Open tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. 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.”
Novak Djokovic will next be seen competing against Jakub Mensik in the fourth round of the Australian Open on January 26.
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