Medvedev escapes the burn after his disqualification: "These things happen"

The match between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the ATP Beijing semifinals had it all. Drama, points, physical issues, mockery, and a final disqualification of the Russian tennis player for hitting a spectator in the eye with a ball. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Greg Rusedski preferred to downplay the matter just as the Serbian player did, labeling it as part of the game.

Rusedski spoke on his podcast 'Off Court' about Medvedev's hit on a fan when Djokovic was serving to win the match at 5-3. After Nole won a point to make it 15-15 in the game, Daniil had one of the biggest meltdowns remembered and hit a ball into the stands, unfortunately hitting a fan and he had to be taken to the hospital. Obviously, this led to a immediate disqualification, although Rusedski wanted to clarify this.

“He played a great match, but you have to be very careful where you throw the racket and where you hit the ball. It can be unintentional, but it's something that happens automatically. The chair umpire did the right thing. We need to maintain a safe environment for fans. And sometimes we have to control our anger. These things happen, and he is a quite emotional player who can lose his temper,” concluded the former British number 1. 

The big mistake of Medvedev against Djokovic

The truth is that Medvedev expressed great regret, understood the disqualification, and even visited the fan in the hospital. According to him, it was not his intention to hit anyone, and the good news for him is that he has not faced public scorn when it could have easily happened. Djokovic, who experienced a similar situation at the US Open 2020, put himself in his shoes, and now Rusedski is the one who preferred to wipe the slate clean regarding what happened.

What Greg did highlight is the biggest mistake Daniil made during his match against Novak: mocking him. In the second set, Djokovic asked for a physio due to physical issues, something the Russian player did not believe upon seeing how he continued to run around the court. In fact, he started to imitate him and paid for it dearly, as Nole put on the work clothes and ultimately outperformed him in both play and mentality.

"He also mocked Djokovic during that match, pretending to have trouble breathing. Daniil Medvedev is a unique character, but he is good for tennis. You can't do that to our champions. The worst thing you can do is mock Novak, because when you do, he plays better. So it's better to keep quiet,” he concluded. Undoubtedly, a match from which Medvedev will take many lessons for the future.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev se salva de la quema tras su descalificación: "Estas cosas pasan"