Daniil Medvedev lost his temper and threw his racquet during a match at the 2024 Laver Cup.
A few years back, Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open for accidentally hitting a line umpire with a ball. He didn’t mean to hit anyone, but it happened when he angrily struck the ball after losing a point.
Djokovic quickly tried to help, not realizing he would be defaulted.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇺 Daniil Medvedev | 28 | 6,485 | 27 - 8 |
He argued with the umpire, but rules are rules—hitting an official means you’re out. So, Djokovic got disqualified from an event many thought he would win.
Medvedev’s Incident:
Dominic Thiem ended up winning that US Open. Since then, there have been other dangerous racquet-throwing incidents without major consequences.
Recently at the Laver Cup, Medvedev threw his racquet in frustration. It hit the ground and bounced towards the stands but luckily didn’t hurt anyone.
Medvedev admitted it was a bad move and felt lucky to avoid being defaulted. Ben Shelton asked the umpire to take it seriously, and Frances Tiafoe also spoke up. The umpire said if someone had been hit, Medvedev would have been defaulted.
“Frances,” said the umpire, “it bounced and didn’t hit anyone.”
Fans might think it’s unfair how these rules are applied sometimes.
Andy Roddick talked about this on Tennis Channel. He compared it to Djokovic’s incident and thought Medvedev’s action was worse.
“I’m just trying to save these guys money,” Roddick said. “Don’t throw it at someone.”
Roddick questioned how rigidly these rules are enforced in tennis.
“He was swatting the ball back towards the tarp,” Roddick added about Djokovic’s incident. “It just happened to hit someone.”
What do you think about these incidents? Should tennis change its rules?
