Daniil Medvedev’s Beijing Open 2026 semi-final against Novak Djokovic ended in the most abrupt way possible after the 30-year-old was disqualified for hitting a spectator with a ball.
It was a rare default in tennis, and one that immediately changed the shape of the match. Medvedev had been trailing Djokovic 7-5 5-3 when the incident happened at 15-15 in the point score, bringing the contest to a sudden stop.
How the match was lost
Defaults in tennis are uncommon and come when a player crosses the sport’s code of conduct. Those violations can include ball abuse, physical or verbal abuse, or racquet abuse, and in this case the consequences were immediate.
Medvedev then spoke to umpire Mohamed Lahyani and an ATP official before shaking hands with Djokovic. The disqualification brought an end to the semi-final and left the third seed facing the consequences of a moment that overshadowed the match itself.
Medvedev's apology
After the match, Medvedev apologised to the spectator and made clear where his concern lay. “Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” he said.
He added: “I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologise in person and see how he feels. I just hope he’s OK. That’s the most important. I just really care about him right now.”
That response underlined how quickly the focus moved away from the semi-final scoreline and towards the person hit by the ball.
Djokovic understands the pressure
Djokovic also reacted with sympathy, saying: “It’s a bit of a shock to be honest.” He added: “I hope that person is not badly injured, I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I am sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally.”
That matters because Djokovic was defaulted from the 2020 US Open for a similar incident, so he knows how quickly a major match can unravel after a single moment of frustration.
Medvedev has struggled to control his emotions throughout his career, and this episode will only sharpen that discussion again. The immediate issue is the fallout from the default; the bigger question is how he responds the next time he is in the middle of a high-pressure match.
