Novak Djokovic Hits Line Judge And Is Disqualified, Breaks 2020 Win Streak

The undefeated streak of Novak Djokovic has come to end care of his own hands as he got himself disqualified against Pablo Carreno Busta. The world number one struck the ball out of frustration but unfortunately landed straight on the line judge.

This is Djokovic’s first loss of the year and will have the necessary repercussions. After 26 flawless matches, the world number one seed falls to a controversial defeat. The USTA has released a statement regarding the unique loss.

“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 referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open,” the statement said.

The Serbian superstar was the favorite to win this year's title considering Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are not part of the tournament.

“Because he was defaulted, Djokovic will lose all ranking points earned at the US Open and will be fined prize money won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident,” the statement continued.

https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1302715872797130753

After the match, Djokovic took to Instagram to reflect and apologize regarding the incident.

“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I'm extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I'm not disclosing her name to respect her privacy,” Djokovic wrote.

The official violation of Djokovic was under ball abuse that states the deliberate hitting, throwing, or kicking the ball that hits a person, per CBS Sports.

"As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. I'm very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I'm so sorry," Djokovic concluded.

The unexpected turn of events has caught everyone surprised, leaving the US Open up for grabs. With Djokovic eliminated, it will be the first time since 2016 that a Grand Slam champion will be crowned who is not part of the big three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.