Medvedev disqualified in Beijing semifinal against Djokovic after hitting fan

The disqualification in Beijing

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was disqualified during his semifinal clash against Novak Djokovic at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing on Monday. Leading 7-5, 5-3, and 15-15 in the second set, Djokovic won a point on his own serve as he looked to close out the contest. Frustrated by the lost exchange, the 30-year-old Medvedev struck a stray ball toward the stands in the direction of the back wall. The ball struck a front-row spectator directly in the right eye, leaving the man stunned and in visible pain. Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani consulted with the tournament supervisor and promptly defaulted Medvedev from the tournament under official conduct rules. Medical personnel assisted the injured spectator, who had to be escorted from the arena.

Physical battle on court

The sudden conclusion followed nearly two and a half hours of physically taxing tennis between two former world number one players. Medvedev entered the semifinal on a seven-match winning streak, while Djokovic was coming off a quarterfinal win over Alexander Zverev that lasted two hours and 35 minutes. The opening set alone required one hour and 19 minutes, with Djokovic saving multiple break points to claim it 7-5. As the second set developed, both competitors showed the physical strain of the match. The 39-year-old Serbian bent over and repeatedly rested his hands on his thighs between points. Medvedev appeared unconvinced by the physical display and mocked Djokovic by imitating his tired posture. After dropping his serve to fall behind 2-4, Medvedev took a medical timeout of his own, returned to break Djokovic back, but immediately lost his serve again in the next game.

Djokovic reflects on default experience

Following the default, Djokovic expressed sympathy for both the injured spectator and his Russian opponent during his post-match comments. The Serbian player drew parallels to his own default at the 2020 US Open, where he was disqualified under similar circumstances after accidentally striking a line judge with a ball.

Djokovic addressed the spectator's condition directly.

I am a bit shocked. I feel sorry for the person. I hope they are not injured.

He also reflected on Medvedev's abrupt exit from the tournament.

I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified for something like that.

Milestone run and the Beijing final

The default victory advanced Djokovic into his seventh career final in Beijing and extended his unbeaten record at the tournament to 33 consecutive matches without a loss. By reaching the final, the Serbian registered his 268th career victory against a top-ten opponent and became the oldest finalist in ATP 500 history since the tier was established in 2009. His quarterfinal win over Zverev on Sunday had already surpassed Rafael Nadal's benchmark of 31 consecutive match wins at Roland-Garros from the start of a tournament career. Djokovic will face fifth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia in Tuesday's championship match.