Medvedev tries to excuse himself after the ball hit: "It was an accident"

It's hard to believe what happened at the end of the match between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic at the ATP in Beijing, as the Russian was disqualified for hitting a spectator in the eye with a ball. Daniil wanted to apologize in a press conference for what happened and expressed disappointment in his performance, although he tried to explain that it was all an accident and that he wasn't angry when he did what he did.

Medvedev defends himself: “It was a hundred percent an accident”

The Russian began his press conference by expressing concern for the spectator's condition, but wanted to make it clear that everything was the result of an accident and that he was not angry at any point to end up hitting the ball into the stands that way.

“First of all, I want to apologize. I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants, because I would like to talk to him in person, to know how he is and to apologize directly. I felt terrible when I saw what had happened, and right now what concerns me the most is that he is okay.”

“It was a hundred percent an accident. You can see that I didn’t hit the ball out of anger. I do many things that are wrong on the court, but hitting balls like this is not normally one of them. The ball came back to me, and I just tried to send it anywhere so that it wouldn’t go out of the court. When I saw where it had ended up and what it had caused, the feeling was horrible.”

“At that moment, there was no rage or special frustration. I wasn’t trying to hit it hard, and obviously, I didn’t want to hit anyone. But it ended up hitting him, and I feel really bad for him. I hope I can meet with him and make it up to him somehow. The rest will pass; right now what’s important to me is to know that he is okay.”

Medvedev tries to defend himself after what happened. 🗣️ "I do many things wrong, but abusing the ball isn't my thing". No. No. No and a thousand times no. This is not what Daniil should say after doing what he did. He hit a spectator in the eye who had to go to the doctor, and hopefully nothing happened to him. Is it that hard to apologize? He made a mistake, and a big one. What one should say when doing this is that they accept that they messed up and that they will learn not to do it again. A spectator at a sporting event should never be exposed to a player hitting them in the eye in a fit of rage.

— José Morón (@jmgmoron) October 5, 2026

Historic sanction and a heavy blow for Medvedev

From Medvedev's speech, there seems to be no indication of learning. A “I’ve learned from this so that it won’t happen again.” That should be the real point of reflection after what happened. This is not the first time he has starred in episodes of loss of control on the court, be it throwing a racket, hitting balls without a sporting objective, or taking his frustration too far.

That this incident was accidental does not excuse him from having put a spectator's health at risk. When a tennis player hits a ball outside of a normal action of the game, they expose themselves to situations like this. Therefore, the message should not just remain at “it was an accident” or “I normally don’t do these things.”

It would be much more valuable to hear an “I’ve learned from what happened and I will try to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” Not only for safety reasons but because these images travel the world and are also seen by thousands of kids who look up to great tennis players as role models. No fan of a sporting event should be exposed to a player hitting them with a ball and jeopardizing their health. Never.

Beyond what happened, the consequences for Medvedev will be enormous. The incident could become the most expensive ball he has ever hit in his career. The disqualification will mean a historic sanction for Medvedev, with an estimated loss of $220,000 in prize money and 200 ranking points.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev intenta excusarse tras el pelotazo: "Ha sido un accidente"