Serbian men’s tennis champion Novak Djokovic, 33, was defaulted from the U.S. Open tournament on Sunday afternoon after he hit a tennis ball with his racket, during a momentary pause in gameplay, and struck a court-side official in the throat, causing her to fall to the ground on her knees.
The New York Times reported that Djokovic pulled a tennis ball from his pocket during a break and hit it in the direction of a lines-woman standing on the side of the court. The hit did not appear intentional, and video of the event circulating on social media shows the player’s concern after he realized what he had done, and she later reportedly walked off the court to be seen by a tournament physician.
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