French Open: 'It Was Awkward Deja Vu,' Says Djokovic After Hitting A Line Judge Again

KEY POINTS

Novak Djokovic once again hit a line judge at the French Open
The incident took place during Djokovic's fourth-round match
Djokovic is set to face Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarters

Novak Djokovic said it was an "awkward deja vu" when the ball flew off his racquet into a line judge's face during his Roland Garros fourth-round win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Monday.

Djokovic was defaulted from the U.S. Open last month when he hit a line judge after smashing the spare ball in frustration. However, this time there was no chance of a default as the ball was still in play and it was not a dangerous move.

Speaking at a post-match interview, Djokovic said, "I hope he's fine. He dealt with it in a strong and brave way. But it was a hit because I was very close."

The World No. 1, who was aiming to win his 18th Grand Slam, was disqualified from the U.S. Open’s fourth-round match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta when the former accidentally hit a line judge in her throat after losing serve in the first set.

On Monday, the Serbian had a similar anxious moment and coincidentally, it was again a fourth-round game. It was once again the first set as Djokovic was hit with the forgettable deja vu when a Khachanov return flew off his racquet towards the side of the line judge's face. Fortunately, the line judge was unhurt and therefore, it did not lead to a controversy that had followed the incident in New York.

"It was very awkward deja vu. I'm actually trying to find the lines person and see if he's okay because I saw he had a little bit of a bruise, like redness, in that place in the head where the ball hit him," the top seed was quoted by BBC Sport.

"Obviously, because of what happened in New York, people I guess are going to make the story out of this. It has happened to me and to many other players in the last 15 years that I've been on the tour. I've seen it a lot when the ball ricochets from the racquet and the frame, hit someone in the stands, or someone that is close to you or a line umpire," he added.