Daniil Medvedev says he is trying to reach out to the spectator he inadvertently hit with a ball, which led to his disqualification from the China Open on Monday.
The Russian sixth seed was trailing 5-7, 3-5, to Novak Djokovic before accidentally striking a member of the crowd with a ball. The crowd member was seen bent over holding his eye following the incident. Medvedev was subsequently disqualified from the match, meaning he will lose both ranking points and prize money earned at the event.
“I’m terribly sorry to the spectator. I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels,” the former US Open champion told reporters in Beijing.
Describing the incident as a ‘100% accident,’ Medvedev stated that he didn’t hit the ball in anger. However, the rule states that a player is defaulted if they hit a ball that hits a spectator, official, or stadium staff member, even if it was unintentional.
“You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger,” he said.
“I do a lot of bad things, but usually ball abuse is not my thing.
“The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it doesn’t go out from the court.
“When I saw the result (ball hitting the spectator), I felt horrible.
“I hope that he’s okay ’cause you never know with these types of situations.”
Before his disqualification, the Russian was enjoying a strong start to the Asian swing with a seven-match winning streak. Last week he won his 24th ATP title at the Hangzhou Open.
The disqualification means Medvedev has lost 200 ranking points and $219,295 in prize money. He is still eighth in the ATP race to Turin, which is the final qualifying spot for November’s Tour finals.
