It would take Djokovic quite a bit more work before he finally closed out the first set in 1 hour, 28 minutes and went on to finish off a 7-6 (7), 6-3 victory for a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals for the 14th straight year on Friday.
A forgettable summer for the Serb, topped by the ill-fated incident at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on Sunday evening only further damaged the rise of Djokovic.
Carreño Busta didn’t hesitate after Sunday’s stunning default to grasp Djokovic’s hand — that is, after all, the standard way tennis players show sportsmanship and mutual respect at the end of a match, usually at the net.
Djokovic's exit means there will be a first-time Grand Slam champion in the men's draw, with Zverev among the contenders at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic posted an emotional message on Instagram after the ouster from the Grand Slam and said he will turn the incident into a lesson for his growth and evolution as player and human being.
Tournament referee Friemel didn't see what happened, and said he was not allowed to check a video replay, but was given a rundown by Egli and Tourte. Friemel said that even if Djokovic didn't intend to hurt the line judge, she was hurt, and that was enough to merit the ruling.
In men's singles, Djokovic defeated No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a match that lasted One hour and 42 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday.
Novak Djokovic cruised to the third round of the US Open with a straight set victory over Kyle Edmund.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic began his bid for Grand Slam title No. 18 on Monday night by extending his season start to 24-0 with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Damir Dzumhur at Flushing Meadows.
The US Open will begin today and India's Sumit Nagal will also be in action in the first round on September 1.
Also against the proposal: the ATP men’s tour and the sport’s other governing bodies, including the WTA women’s tour and the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Djokovic tied Rafael Nadal’s record by earning his 35th title at a Masters 1000 tournament, overcoming a sluggish start to beat Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Open final on Saturday and improve to 23-0 this season.
Tennis players never have had a union the way North American team sports do. Each player is considered an independent contractor.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic was playing his first ATP match in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic; he pulled out of the doubles event on Sunday because of his neck.
Djokovic remained in the singles draw, where he is seeded No. 1 and is scheduled to play his second-round match Monday. He received a first-round bye.
Djokovic initially complained about the U.S. Tennis Association’s plans to try to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic with such measures as limiting the size of players’ entourages, going so far as to say he didn’t know whether he would participate.
Djokovic was one of several tennis players who tested positive for COVID-19 during his Adria World Tour.
Djokovic had been caught in the eye of a storm when a cluster of coronavirus cases came from his Adria World Tour, a series of tennis tournaments that was held across cities in the Balkan peninsula.
Djokovic had recently tested negative in his second test for coronavirus after the first test returned positive.
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Victor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Belgrade leg of the exhibition event.
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