He was an ultra-favorite, yet Novak Djokovic will not win his 18th Grand Slam title at the US Open.
While he was led 6-5 in the first set against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno, the world number 1 had a gesture of humor that cost him dearly.
Annoyed, he throws his ball behind and hits the linesman in the throat.
Even though the gesture was unintentional, the Serbian was disqualified from the tournament according to the rules.
Djokovic says "sorry"
“I apologize to the US Open and to anyone affected by my behavior […] I'm sorry,” Novak Djokovic wrote on Twitter.
The player left the stadium without going to a press conference.
“I'm really sad and drained after this story.
I heard from the linesman and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling good.
I am extremely sorry for causing him so much stress.
It was totally unintentional.
It was absolutely wrong, ”continues the Serbian in his tweet.
"As for my disqualification, I have to do an introspection and work on my disappointment in order to learn a lesson from it to move forward and develop myself as a tennis player and as a human being," he concludes.