Recommended
Russian Daniil Medvedev (No. 5) asserted this Monday that the ball striking a spectator, which led to his disqualification in the China Open semifinals, was "an accident" and expressed his desire to meet with the fan to compensate them in some way.
"It was one hundred percent an accident," he stated in the mixed zone after the match against Serbian Novak Djokovic (No. 11), who was leading 7-5, 5-3 when the incident occurred on the hard court of the Diamond arena in Beijing.
Medvedev maintained that he did not hit the ball in anger and explained that he was trying to prevent it from leaving the court after it bounced back toward him.
"When I saw the result, I felt horrible," declared the Russian, who insisted that his main concern was the spectator's condition.
"I hope he is okay, because you never know with these types of situations," he noted. "I hope to be able to meet with him and compensate him in some way," he added.
The incident occurred after the point that brought the score to 15-15 in the ninth game of the second set, leading to the Russian's disqualification and Djokovic's advancement to the final.
Regarding the match, Medvedev acknowledged that he had squandered opportunities and praised the performance of the six-time Beijing champion.
"He played incredibly, so I think he has a good chance in the final," he stated regarding the Serbian, who will face Australian Alex de Miñaur (No. 9) this Tuesday.
[Publicidad]