NEW YORK — Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was forced to default from his fourth-round match at the US Open after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball Sunday.
It was a stunning end to Djokovic’s bid for an 18th Grand Slam title and his 26-0 start to this season.
Djokovic had just lost a game to his opponent, Pablo Carreno Busta, to fall behind 6-5 in the first set. As he walked to the sideline for the changeover, Djokovic smacked a ball behind him.
The ball hit a female line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court. After a discussion of several minutes with officials on court, Djokovic walked over to shake hands with Carreno Busta, and the default was announced.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.