The Consequences of a Flick of the Wrist

by Davis Putnam, Staff Writer

The world of tennis went into shock on September 6 when world rank #1 Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the U.S. Open. The disqualification came in his 4th round match against Pablo Carreño Busta after he accidentally hit a line judge in the throat with a ball after a lost point. The U.S. Open released a statement on twitter which stated that Djokovic’s “dangerous or reckless actions… with negligent regard for their consequences” were what caused the chair umpire and referee to disqualify him from the tournament. Djokovic’s antics throughout the match leading up to him hitting the line judge may have contributed to the harsh ruling.

The disqualification infuriated certain fans, but intrigued others who were curious about how the rest of the tournament would play out without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who both opted out due to COVID-19. The “big three” have combined for 56 grand slam titles across their careers, with the remaining field following the disqualification combining for 0. This Sunday, Dominic Thiem claimed his first slam title, after 3 previous finals appearances. Thiem went down 2 sets to 0 early to Alexander Zverev, but mounted a monumental comeback to take the remaining 3, finally winning in a 5th set tiebreak.

In addition to its impact on the tournament, the disqualification has also made Djokovic’s path to the title of G.O.A.T just a bit harder, as he remains 3 slams behind Federer and 2 behind Nadal. Djokovic has come out and apologized profusely, stating that he learned “a big lesson” from the incident.