Novak Djokovic admitted he was ‘lucky’ to avoid a second qualification in a Grand Slam tournament after he fired a ball in anger that narrowly missed a ball kid during his third round win against Botic van de Zandschulp and now former world No 1 Andy Roddick has given his verdict on the incident.
Djokovic was thrown out of the 2020 US Open after firing a ball that accidentally hit a lines person in the neck and he came close to repeating that nightmare as he lost his cool as van de Zandschulp made a miraculous recovery from injury when it appeared he was close to quitting early in the second set.
There would have been no doubt about Djokovic’s disqualification if he did hit the ball kid and after he refused to speak to the media following his US Open incident five-and-a-half years ago, he owned his mistake in Melbourne.
“Yeah, I apologise for that,” said Djokovic in his press conference. “That was not necessary. In the heat of the moment, yeah, I was lucky there. And I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”
It was an honest confession from Djokovic and now former world No 1 Andy Roddick has suggested this near miss in Melbourne would have been an even more serious incident than his 2020 US Open elimination.
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Speaking on his Served podcast, Roddick stepped carefully around the incident as he argued Djokovic’s actions could not have been defended if the ball kid had been hit.
“I have been petulant on the court,” began Roddick. “I could very easily have made a decision where hit someone on the court and got defaulted. Very, very, very easily.
“He got defaulted at the US Open for doing exactly the same thing. The one at the Australian Open was way worse.
“At the US Open, he hit it backwards and it’s a one in a million shot that it hits someone in the throat. I’ve done what he did at the US Open a thousand times.
“This one, where he pulls it and slaps it and it hits a ball kid, that would have been worse to me.
“You put yourself in a position to have a judgement levied on you.
“Very unlucky at the US Open. Like, it wasn’t as if it was full of malice. I don’t think there was malice here, but was it was regrettable and stupid. Yes. He got lucky here, 100 per-cent, as he said.
“I was stunned watching it, but I’m glad he has not been kicked out of the tournament. That would have been an instant default. No umpire would not default him for hitting the side ball kid.”
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Roddick went on to praise Djokovic for accepting responsibility for his near miss in Melbourne, which was a different approach to his US Open disqualification, where he left Flushing Meadows without speaking to the media or issuing an apology for his actions.
This near miss and the withdrawal of Jakub Mensik due to injury mean the pieces of Djokovic’s Australian Open jigsaw may be falling into place, as he looks to win a 25th Grand Slam title that would be a final crowning moment in his glorious career.