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Journalism of Courage
World Number 1 Novak Djokovic’s disqualification from the US Open 2020 for hitting a line judge with a tennis ball sparked a range of reactions from tennis fans around the world on social media. The Serbian tennis player being barred from the tournament ended his winning streak this year and his bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.
The incident took place on Sunday when the 33-year-old player angrily hit a ball behind him while trailing Pablo Carreño Busta 6-5 in the first set of the match. The ball hit a line judge on the neck following which she fell to the ground.
Watch the video here:
https://twitter.com/pundirlol/status/1302703368486363137
Following the incident, Djokovic apologised for his actions stating that the whole situation had left him feeling “sad and empty”.
“I checked on the linesperson 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,” he said in an Instagram post.
Writing about the disqualification, Djokovic wrote, “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. I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated with my behaviour.”
On social media, people were divided over the decision. While many expressed disappointment, some felt that the tennis player should use this time to introspect.
https://twitter.com/jschroe36/status/1302743378983968768
https://twitter.com/VelamDahlstrom/status/1302744140208369664
https://twitter.com/RoyMustang786/status/1302743574350618625
https://twitter.com/zipwor/status/1302744995196268544
