Daniil Medvedev Defaulted At China Open After Hitting Spectator With Ball

Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from the China Open on Monday during his tense semifinal against Novak Djokovic after hitting a spectator with a ball he struck in frustration.

The incident occurred with Medvedev trailing 5-7, 3-5 and Djokovic serving for a place in the final. After Djokovic hit a forehand volley winner, Medvedev missed his return. The ball bounced off the advertising boards and came back towards him, prompting the Russian to hit a backhand into the stands.

The ball struck a spectator sitting behind Medvedev. The spectator was seen immediately covering his face and was escorted from the stands for medical attention.

Medvedev raised his left hand in an apparent apology, but the gesture did not prevent the chair umpire and tournament supervisor from defaulting him from the match.

A default means Medvedev will forfeit the prize money and ranking points he would otherwise have earned from his run at the China Open. He will also lose his tournament-provided hotel accommodation.

His semifinal appearance in Beijing was worth roughly $220,000, potentially making it the largest financial loss resulting from a default since Djokovic’s controversial disqualification at the 2020 US Open.

Djokovic was defaulted from his fourth-round match after inadvertently striking a line judge with a ball. He forfeited $250,000 in prize money and lost the opportunity to compete for another Grand Slam title and the $3 million winner’s prize.

The ATP Rulebook prohibits players from violently, dangerously or angrily hitting, kicking or throwing a tennis ball at a tournament site, except when reasonably pursuing a point during a match or warm-up.

The rules define ball abuse as intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the court enclosure, dangerously or recklessly hitting a ball within the court, or striking a ball with disregard for the consequences.

The chair umpire and tournament supervisor determine whether an incident warrants a code violation and, ultimately, a default.

Defaults are uncommon on the ATP Tour. In 2011, David Nalbandian was disqualified from the Queen’s Club final after kicking a line judge, costing him $51,000.

There have also been cases in which players successfully appealed penalties, including Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov in 2024.

For Medvedev, the biggest consequence could be the loss of 200 ranking points, which may affect his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.

Medvedev entered the China Open in eighth place in the ATP year-to-date rankings with 3,030 points. He was only 330 points ahead of ninth-placed Alex de Minaur, who reached the China Open final on Monday.

The ATP Finals is limited to the top eight players in the year-end standings. Simply qualifying and playing three matches guarantees a payout of $331,000, while the champion receives nearly $5 million.

For Medvedev, who has earned approximately $52.9 million in career prize money, the financial penalty from the China Open default may therefore be less significant than the potential impact on his bid to reach the season-ending tournament.