Novak Djokovic will be labeled as the "bad guy" for the remainder of his career after inadvertently striking a line judge in the throat with a tennis ball, tennis legend John McEnroe has said.
In bizarre scenes at Flushing Meadows last night, the Serbian world number one was defaulted from the US Open after angrily swatting a ball towards the back of the court having had his serve broken by his opponent, the 20th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. The ball struck an unfortunate line judge in the throat, leaving her in clear discomfort.
Despite a lengthy discussion with tournament officials, during which Djokovic appeared to plead his case to continue the match, the world number one eventually conceded the inevitable and shook hands with Carreno Busta.
You can watch the jaw-dropping moment Djokovic hit the official right here:Unfortunately for Djokovic, this is just the latest in a string of controversies this year that have him as their common denominator. The 33-year-old attracted widespread criticism for his involvement in the organization of the Adria Tour event that took place in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and saw players failing to adhere to social distancing measures. Several players, the Serbian included, later tested positive for COVID-19.
"We did it with a pure heart and sincere intentions," the 33-year-old said at the time.
Djokovic's plans for a breakaway Professional Tennis Players' Association have also ruffled more than a few feathers in recent weeks. Despite significant support from fellow professional tennis players, the timing of such a move has been questioned in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, and vocal public opposition from both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has done little to improve the negative PR surrounding Djokovic's involvement in the breakaway association.
"The pressure just got to him. I think a lot has been going on off the court," John McEnroe told ESPN in the aftermath of the incident at Flushing Meadows.
"It's obviously affected him and whether he likes it or not, he's going to be the bad guy the rest of his career.
"If he embraces that role, I think he could recover. He's got a lot of things going for him, but this is a stain that he's not going to be able to erase."
However, McEnroe - himself considered for much of his career something of an enfant terrible - was withering in his assessment of Djokovic's decision to leave Flushing Meadows without conducting a press conference.
"You've got to man up," he said. "It made no sense to me. In the past I've seen him take responsibility when he's blown it. In this case it makes it even worse.
"So what if he apologised on Twitter... that's not good enough."
The world number one took to Instagram later in the evening, where he apologized for the incident and vowed to learn from his behavior.
"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.
"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."
The disqualification represents a major blow for Novak Djokovic, who is looking to close the gap on total Grand Slams to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The US Open, in which both Nadal and Federer opted not to play amid the coronavirus pandemic, represented a significant chance for Djokovic to edge closer to his rivals.
Per the BBC, Djokovic's opponent Carreno Busta said of the incident:
"I didn't see the moment, I was looking at my coach, celebrating the break and then I saw the line judge on the floor. I was in shock.
"When they were talking at the net I was focused in case I had to continue playing. This moment was so long. Finally Novak gave me the hand.
"I think it was not intentional. I don't think anyone of us do this intentionally. It's just the moment. It was bad luck.
"Of course you can't do this. The rules are the rules. The referee and the supervisor did the right thing but it isn't easy to make this decision."
Related: Rafael Nadal apologizes after accidentally hitting ball girl with shot during point:Despite unarguably being of the greatest tennis players to ever live, Djokovic has never quite captured the adulation of fans in the same way as his fierce rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
While this incident will do little to endear him to portions of the tennis-watching public who had never warmed to the 33-year-old, he will doubtless be back winning tournaments in no time at all - "bad guy" image or not.
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