Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev disqualified from Beijing semifinal against Novak Djokovic after hitting spectator in face with ball

During a semifinal match at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was disqualified after striking a spectator in the face with a ball. Novak Djokovic, the eventual winner, was ahead 7-5, 5-3 when the incident occurred. Just after a point, the ball ricocheted off the wall behind Medvedev and struck a fan.

Play was halted, and the spectator was removed from the stands, covering his face. Djokovic, in his post-match interview, expressed empathy for the saddened fan and believed the accident was unintentional. Djokovic had faced a similar situation at the U.S. Open in 2020, where he hit a line judge with a ball. In the Beijing final, Djokovic will face Australia's Alex de Minaur.

De Minaur's semifinal was also cut short as his opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, withdrew due to injury. At Meduza, we strive for transparency in our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. This story was written by one of our journalists and translated from Russian using AI, reviewed by an editor before publication. For any errors, please reach out to reports@meduza.io. To access Meduza's exclusive English content, subscribe to our newsletter.