Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semi-final with Novak Djokovic on Monday after hitting a rebounding ball into the crowd that struck a spectator in the eye.
The Russian world No 5 was trailing 7-5, 5-3 and had lost a point when, in frustration, he struck a ball that had come off the back wall. The spectator, sitting in the first row, clutched his left eye and appeared in pain as he left the gallery, assisted by the stadium’s staff.
“Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” Medvedev said, adding it was “100% an accident” and that he wished to apologise in person. “The ball was bouncing back so I tried to just hit it anywhere so it doesn’t go out from the court. When I saw the result I felt horrible.”
The incident added further to a fiery reputation for the 2021 US Open champion, three times a losing finalist at the Australian Open, born of a series of incidents where Medvedev’s temper has flared. In April, at the Monte Carlo Open, he smashed his racket several times and placed the remnants in a courtside dustbin during his 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini.
At the 2025 US Open, he received a $42,500 fine after losing his temper when a photographer interrupted Benjamin Bonzi’s serve for match point. Play was held up for more than six minutes as Medvedev riled up the crowd and insulted the umpire. “What I say and what I do, in my head, I want to do worse and I cannot because there are rules, because we’re on a tennis court,” he said.
At the 2025 Australian Open, he was fined £54,000, one of biggest sums in grand slam history, after breaking a net camera by repeatedly smashing it with his racket. He also had to pay for the camera.
“I was shocked. I hope that person is not badly injured,” said Djokovic, who was disqualified from the US Open in 2020 under similar circumstances. “On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. I’m sure Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally.”
Both semi-finals in Beijing ended prematurely as Hubert Hurkacz retired with an adductor injury. Australia’s Alex de Minaur was leading 6-4, 3-2 when his opponent, who had struggled with movement throughout the match, retired.
Elsewhere, the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, overcame early wobbles on his serve to outclass fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Japan Open final, taking a step towards his first singles title after his comeback from a wrist injury. He will face Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday’s final.
The 23-year-old, who moved through the gears during Team Europe’s triumphant Laver Cup campaign last month, looked comfortable against the qualifier in Tokyo at 5-4 before gifting him the opening set with two shaky service games.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Alcaraz, who dropped 16 consecutive points at the end of the first set. “I started the match well, got a break and was serving for the set.
“It seems like I’m struggling every first set. But the way I come back every time, I’m really happy about it. Jaume’s a pretty tough player and these conditions suit him pretty well. I just tried to stay there as much as I could.”
