In professional sports, it is common to see athletes losing their cool. Some clash against their opponents, whilst others use equipment to vent their frustration. Episodes of altercations between players and damaging property at the venue have often been witnessed, but what happened at the China Open semi-final between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic saw the former being disqualified from the tournament. The incident, which took place because of a spur of frustration by the Russian, has gone on to cost the 2021 US Open winner a hefty price.
Trailing 5-7, 3-5, with Djokovic serving for a place in the final, Medvedev missed a return following a forehand volley winner from the Serb. As the ball rebounded off the advertising boards back towards him, Medvedev struck a backhand into the crowd, where it struck a spectator. The fan was seen covering his face and was promptly escorted from the stands to receive medical treatment.
As a result of the incident, Medvedev was disqualified from the contest. The disqualification not only cost him a possible spot in the final but also the entire prize money he had won in the tournament so far.
Defaulted players not only forfeit their tournament prize money, but also their ranking points and hotel accommodations. In Beijing, Medvedev’s run to the semi-finals would have earned him roughly $220,000 (approx. INR 2.2 crore), making this the largest financial loss resulting from a default since Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball.
For reaching the fourth round in New York, Djokovic surrendered $250,000 (approx. INR 2.4 crore), alongside the opportunity to compete for another Grand Slam title and its $3 million winner’s cheque.
Medvedev was quick to apologise as his recklessness caused an injury to a spectator. However, the rules of the sport meant that he had no option but to leave the court empty-handed. Even Djokovic admitted being shocked by what happened but felt sorry for his opponent, having been through such an episode in the past himself.
“A bit of a shock, to be honest. Sorry for the person. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope the person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified,” he said.
“In a big match, I was disqualified back in 2020 at the US Open for similar circumstances. I’m sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally. It just happens. I was three points away from the win. It was a gruelling battle. I definitely didn’t want to take this battle to a third set.
“It was looking like that. I saved I don’t know how many break points. It was crazy. I don’t know. It always is a big battle with Daniil. It’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well in slower conditions and has a big serve. But yeah, we move on.”
Not the ending we expected @DjokerNole advances to the Beijing final after Medvedev is defaulted whilst down 5-7 3-5 #ChinaOpen https://t.co/Pae5eNrJ6W
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 5, 2026
What Does The Rulebook Say?
Though it is up to the chair umpire and the tournament supervisor to decide whether the incident warrants a code violation or not, the rules set by the ATP are extremely clear for such incidents.
The law says: “Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up). For purposes of this rule, abuse of balls is defined as intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with disregard of the consequences.”
Other than the money, the incident is also set to cost Medvedev the 200 ranking points he will forfeit, which could prevent him from participating in the ATP Finals.
The former world No. 1 men’s singles tennis player is currently in eighth place in the ATP year-to-date rankings, having collected 3,030 points this year. He is just 330 points ahead of world No. 9 Alex de Minaur, who will face Novak Djokovic in the China Open final.
Only the top eight players qualify for the ATP Finals. The situation, hence, puts Medvedev’s place in that race at serious risk.
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