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Watch: Japanese volleyball star Yuji Nishida’s dramatic court-side apology goes viral after serve hits staffer

The incident unfolded when the 26-year-old volleyball star was half-serving and his powerful left-handed serve struck a female staff member standing outside the court.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 3, 2026 08:20 AM IST

He went on to slip rapidly across the court towards her and lowered his head in a dramatic apology (Image source: @BillyM2k/X)

Japanese volleyball star Yuji Nishida has taken the internet by storm after his heartfelt and dramatic apology at the SV League All-Star Game in Kobe went viral, winning hearts worldwide.

The incident unfolded when the 26-year-old athlete was half-serving, and his powerful left-handed serve struck a female staff member standing by the volleyball court. Nishida then acknowledged the ball hitting the judge on her back.

He went on to slip rapidly across the court towards her and lowered his head in a dramatic apology. But he did not pause there. Further, Nishida dropped to his knees and continued to bow down. At one point, he pressed his palms and apologised.

Sharing the video, Shibetoshi Nakamoto wrote on X, “japanese volleyball player makes the most genuine apology after accidentally hitting someone with his serve.”

Watch the viral video here:

japanese volleyball player makes the most genuine apology after accidentally hitting someone with his serve pic.twitter.com/YlfLtLnupY

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) February 1, 2026

The video has gone viral, drawing praise from across the globe, with an X user commenting, “somehow japan achieved this level of politeness without going too woke.. i mean they do have freaks here and there but i womder about where and how they reached the balance without going too extreme.”

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Another user wrote, “I’m dying laughing! Sliding on the floor belly-down and then kneeling in apology
his sincerity is on another level! So wholesome and hilarious.”

“Incredible respect really. In many places they would at best not give a shit and probably even complain that she did not give back the ball fast enough,” a third user reacted.

In the event, Nishida played a key role in his team’s dominant 3-0 win and was later named the tournament’s MVP, according to AbemaTV, the streaming platform that broadcast the event.