World tennis number one Novak Djokovic has been disqualified from the US Open for smashing a ball which then hit a linesperson in the throat.
The 33-year-old tennis star was in the first set of his match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta when he took a ball out of his pocket and smashed it in the direction of the female official.
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Djokovic immediately held up his hands in apology, and walked over to the line judge to make sure she was OK.
Fox Sports reports that he was heard saying at the net: "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?
"If she would have gotten up right away ..."
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However, the player had broken the rules by hitting a ball 'dangerously or recklessly within the court, or with negligent disregard of the consequences' and was disqualified.
The tennis ace later posted a statement on Instagram which read: "This whole situation has left me really sad and empty," he wrote.
"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.
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"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 had been the red-hot favourite to win the US Open and claim his 18th career grand slam title.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both absent from New York for the tournament which is being played in a bio-secure bubble without crowds because of COVID-19.
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It's not the first time Djokovic has caused controversy this year.
Back in June, the tennis star was slammed for blatantly breaching COVID-19 advice during his Adria Tour.
During the tournament, Djokovic received criticism for the lack of social distancing by players throughout the event.
The tour was eventually cancelled after several players caught coronavirus.
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