Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev’s semifinal at the China Open ended in controversy as the Russian star was defaulted from the match.
The two men played out a terrific match and Djokovic looked to be closing it out when he was serving for the match at 7-5, 5-3 up in Beijing.
Djokovic’s life was made easier when Medvedev appeared to strike the ball into a fan in the front row, which was picked up by the authorities.
The star was then defaulted from the match, which means he will now not receive any ranking points or prize money from the China Open.
It was a controversial moment, but Djokovic remained diplomatic about Medvedev’s actions.
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Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Djokovic said: “A bit of a shock to be honest. Sorry for the person. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured.
“On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. I was disqualified back in 2020 US Open for similar circumstances. I’m sure that Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.
“I mean 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 and it was looking like that. I saved I don’t know how many break points.
“It’s always a big battle with Daniil. It’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well. Slower conditions, big serve. Yeah, we move on.”
Djokovic famously faced the same when he struck a line judge with a ball during a 2020 US Open match against Pablo Carreno Busta.
Following the drama of his semifinal, Djokovic will now prepare to face Alex de Minaur in the final of the China Open.
Opening up about his journey at the tournament, Djokovic said: “I always believe in myself to be quite frank with you. I felt like I played really well. My draw wasn’t very favourable to be honest.
“I played very tough matches from the beginning. But it makes the run to the final sweeter. And another final, there’s something about Beijing that keeps me going.”
Djokovic has beaten Nuno Borges, Yunchaokete Bu, Alexander Zverev, and now Medvedev to reach the final.
He heads into his final against de Minaur with a positive head-to-head record against the Australian. He’s won three of his four matches against de Minaur, including their last in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2025.
