Elena Vesnina said Daniil Medvedev’s disqualification in Beijing should be a lesson in caution. A ball he struck after a point hit a spectator in the eye.
Olympic champion Elena Vesnina believes Daniil Medvedev did not intend to hit a spectator when he was disqualified in the Beijing tournament semifinals. She said the incident should serve as a lesson in caution for the Russian.
At 5-7, 3-5 against Novak Djokovic, Medvedev struck a rebounding ball with his racket after a point had ended. It hit a spectator in the eye, and medical staff attended to the person. Medvedev was facing away from the stands at the time.
Vesnina told Sport-Express that the match remained close and Medvedev still had a chance, although Djokovic had the initiative. She said the outcome was especially painful given the work invested in the tournament and the points and prize money Medvedev could lose.
“Danya had no aggressive impulse to hit somewhere into the stands. He simply wanted to clear the ball,” Vesnina said. She added that he would need to be more careful in future, recalling that Djokovic himself was defaulted from the 2020 US Open after a similar incident.
Djokovic will meet Alex de Minaur in the Beijing final. The Australian advanced after Hubert Hurkacz retired while trailing 4-6, 2-3.