Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from his semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic on Monday at the China Open, where the 30-year-old hit a ball into the crowd that struck a spectator.
"I feel terribly sorry for him actually and I just hope he's okay," Medvedev said following the incident. "That's the most important. The rest, we move on. I just really care about him right now. Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow."
Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3, 15/15 when Medvedev instinctively hit the ball after it bounced off the back wall, sending it into the stands. Following the incident, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Medvedev explained his actions and described the circumstances.
"It was 100 per cent an accident," Medvedev shared. "You can see that I didn't hit the ball in anger… The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to just hit it anywhere, so it wouldn't go out of the court.
"When I saw the result, I felt horrible because, again, I don't think I was ever close to such a situation. The most important thing is I hope that he's okay, because you never know with these types of situations."
The 30-year-old was three points from defeat when the incident occurred. Despite the ending, Medvedev gave credit to Djokovic, who is into the final and is one win away from his 102nd tour-level title.
"It was a tough match for me," Medvedev admitted. "He played really well. I felt he played like when we played our best matches. I had some opportunities, which I missed. He played incredibly, so I think he has big chances in the final."
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