Another grand slam, another linesperson in danger around Novak Djokovic.
This time, however, it won’t cost the world’s No. 1 player a spot in the tournament. In his French Open fourth-round matchup against Karen Khachanov, Djokovic tried desperately reaching for a serve from the Russian but the ball glanced off the frame of his racket and flew wildly into the nearby linesman’s face.
Djokovic immediately apologized and checked on the health of the linesman.
The incident came a month after Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open after he hit a ball in anger and hit a lineswoman in the neck. That was also in the fourth round and is Djokovic’s only loss of the season.
“In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the US Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open,’’ a USTA statement said at the time.
Djokovic won the first set against Khachanov with a spot in the quarterfinals awaiting.
