Novak Djokovic's US Open disqualification punishment could top £200,000

Novak Djokovic could face further censure after being disqualified from the US Open for striking a ball into the throat of a line judge.

The world No1, the overwhelming favourite in New York in the absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, was made to forfeit his prize money – £189,000 – and could be hit with a further fine.

John McEnroe, who was himself disqualified from the 1990 Australian Open for misconduct, warned that the incident was going to be “a stain that he’s not going to be able to erase”.

Djokovic had just been broken to go 6-5 down in the first set of his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta when he hit a ball in frustration towards the back of the court. It hit a lineswoman in the throat, causing her to cry out and fall to her knees.

The 33-year-old tried to argue his case but was disqualified after lengthy on-court discussions with officials.

And McEnroe said: “The pressure just got to him. I think a lot has been going on and off the court. It’s obviously affected him, and whether he likes it or not, he’s going to be the bad guy for 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.”

Djokovic refused to carry out his post-match interview requirements, which will lead to another fine of a maximum of $20,000 (£16,750), and was instead seen immediately leaving Flushing Meadows. He later apologised via social media. In a statement, he said: “This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the linesperson 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 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 apologise to the US Open tournament and everyone associated for my behaviour.”

But McEnroe, no stranger to on-court controversy himself, said the apology as it stood was insufficient from the world’s leading player.

In Pictures | US Open 2020

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McEnroe told ESPN: “You got to man up. 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.”

Djokovic’s career has been littered with moments of on-court petulance. At the ATP Finals in London in 2016, he hit a ball just over his coaching team’s heads and reacted angrily when questioned about the incident.

At that year’s French Open, he threw his racket against the back of the court during a quarter-final match, a linesman moving out of the way just in time to avoid being hit.

And this year has not been without different kinds of controversy. He set up the Adria Tour, which resulted in a host of players, including himself, testing positive for Covid-19. And he was criticised after suggesting he was opposed to vaccinations.

Also in New York he had been pushing ahead with a new Association of Tennis Professionals. Both Federer and Nadal have raised their objections to that proposal for the players’ union.

Fellow player Nick Kyrgios has regularly been critical of Djokovic and weighed in again in the aftermath of his disqualification.

The Australian wrote on Twitter: “Swap me for jokers incident. ‘Accidentally hitting the ball kid in the throat’ how many years would I be banned for?”

Djokovic, meanwhile, had argued against the disqualification in lengthy fashion to officials. He said: “She doesn’t have to go to the hospital for this. You’re going to choose a default in this situation? My career, Grand Slam, centre stage?”