Medvedev disqualified from Beijing semifinal after ball hits spectator
In short
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his ATP 500 semifinal in Beijing against Novak Djokovic after a ball he struck hit a spectator in the stands, with Djokovic leading 7:5, 5:3 in the second set. Medvedev was given a technical defeat and Djokovic advanced to the final against Alex de Minaur. Djokovic said he sympathised with the spectator and did not think Medvedev acted intentionally.
Read the full story 2 min read
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from the semifinal of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing against Novak Djokovic after a ball he struck hit a spectator in the stands, Russian outlets reported. The decision came with Djokovic leading 7:5, 5:3 in the second set, and Medvedev was given a technical defeat, which sent Djokovic into the final. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 ]
Meduza, Kommersant, RBC and Vedomosti reported that the incident followed a completed point: a ball rebounded off the wall behind Medvedev and he struck it with his racket towards the stands, hitting a spectator. Kommersant said the spectator needed medical help, and Meduza reported that the fan left the stands accompanied and covering his face with his hands. The outlets differ on where the ball struck: Meduza said the face, Kommersant said the eye, while RBC and Vedomosti said the head. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 11 ]
In his post-match interview, Djokovic said he sympathised with the spectator and added that, in his view, Medvedev had not done it on purpose, Meduza reported. TASS and RBC also carried Djokovic's sympathy for Medvedev. Meduza recalled a similar episode at the 2020 US Open, when Djokovic himself hit a line judge with a ball. [ 4 , 7 , 9 , 11 ]
Russian tennis figures commented on the decision. TASS reported that coach Viktor Yanchuk called the disqualification an unfortunate accident, and that Shamil Tarpishchev said Medvedev had not wanted to harm the spectator. [ 10 , 12 ]
Kommersant reported that a disqualification also costs a player the prize money and ranking points earned at the tournament, a rule it said was applied when Andrey Rublev was disqualified in Dubai in 2024. It cited the 2022 Davis Cup case of Denis Shapovalov, disqualified after hitting an official with a ball once the game had ended, as a direct precedent. Vedomosti wrote separately that Medvedev's run in Beijing would return him to the top five for the first time since January 2025. [ 5 , 8 ]
Vedomosti reported that Djokovic extended his winning run in Beijing to a record 32 matches before the semifinal and beat Germany's Alexander Zverev 4:6, 6:4, 6:4 in the quarterfinal. Kommersant said Djokovic, ranked 11th, reached his second final of the season, having lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open decider in January. Meduza reported that Djokovic will face Australia's Alex de Minaur in the final, whose semifinal opponent Hubert Hurkacz withdrew with an injury. Kommersant said the final will be played on 6 October at a tournament with a prize fund of more than $4 million. [ 4 , 5 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The disqualification ends Medvedev's run in Beijing and, under the rule Kommersant describes, costs him the prize money and ranking points earned at the tournament. The case draws attention to how tennis handles balls struck towards the crowd after a point has ended, with outlets recalling earlier disqualifications of Djokovic, Shapovalov and Rublev. Djokovic moves on to the final against Alex de Minaur.
Key facts
- Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his ATP 500 semifinal in Beijing against Novak Djokovic after a ball he struck hit a spectator in the stands. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- The incident occurred in the second set with Djokovic leading 7:5, 5:3, after the point had ended. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 11 ]
- Medvedev was given a technical defeat and Djokovic advanced to the final. [ 5 , 8 ]
- Kommersant reported that the spectator needed medical assistance, and Meduza reported that the fan left the stands accompanied and covering his face with his hands. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Djokovic said he sympathised with the spectator and did not believe Medvedev acted intentionally. [ 4 , 7 , 9 , 11 ]
- Djokovic will play Australia's Alex de Minaur in the Beijing final; de Minaur's semifinal opponent Hubert Hurkacz withdrew with an injury. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Kommersant reported that a disqualification costs a player the prize money and ranking points earned at the tournament, a rule it said was applied to Andrey Rublev in Dubai in 2024. [ 5 ]
- Russian coaches Viktor Yanchuk and Shamil Tarpishchev said the disqualification was an unfortunate accident and that Medvedev did not intend to harm the spectator. [ 10 , 12 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Medvedev was disqualified from the Beijing ATP 500 semifinal against Djokovic. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 ]
- The ball Medvedev struck after a point hit a spectator in the stands. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 11 ]
- Djokovic advanced to the final. [ 4 , 5 , 8 ]
- Djokovic said he sympathised with the spectator and did not think Medvedev acted deliberately. [ 4 , 7 , 9 , 11 ]
Still unclear
- Where the ball struck the spectator. Meduza says the face, Kommersant says the eye, and RBC and Vedomosti say the head; the documents do not resolve the difference.
- Medvedev's ranking position. Kommersant calls him the world No. 5, while Vedomosti says he was ranked sixth before the tournament and would return to the top five.
- The spectator's condition after receiving medical assistance. Only Kommersant mentions medical help, and no document provides an update on the spectator.
- Whether Medvedev or tournament organisers commented on the decision. No document carries a reaction from Medvedev or from the ATP or tournament organisers.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti and TASS report that Medvedev has been removed from the match against Djokovic. [ 1 , 2 ]
- RBC reports the disqualification, saying the ball hit a spectator at 5:3 in the second set, and that the final will be Djokovic's seventh in a row in Beijing. [ 3 ]
- Meduza reports the details of the incident, Djokovic's post-match comments and a similar 2020 episode at the US Open. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reports the technical defeat, the medical help given to the spectator and earlier disqualification precedents. [ 5 ]
- Vedomosti reports Djokovic's record 32-match winning run in Beijing and Medvedev's expected return to the top five. [ 8 ]
- TASS reports Djokovic saying he believes Medvedev did not hit the spectator on purpose. [ 9 ]
- TASS reports coach Viktor Yanchuk calling the disqualification an unfortunate accident. [ 10 ]
- TASS reports Shamil Tarpishchev saying Medvedev did not want to harm the spectator. [ 12 ]