Andy Roddick Says Daniil Medvedev ‘Deserved to Be Defaulted’ After Novak Djokovic China Open Match

Daniil Medvedev sparked controversy due to his antics during his semifinal match against Novak Djokovic at the China Open. He first appeared to mock the Serb for his physical struggles.

Later in the final set, he smashed a ball at a spectator sitting in the first row. The spectator appeared to be hit near the left eye. Medvedev was eventually disqualified. Reacting to the incident, Andy Roddick said the Russian deserved to be defaulted because no matter what a player does while playing, hitting a spectator must end in disqualification.

My phone kind of started lighting up, and it’s like: Medvedev defaulted. Sure, but this is about as straightforward and not dramatic, right… he goes over, he hits it in, he was wrong. What do I say all the time? I don’t care if you break your own ( ). I don’t care if you break a racket. Now, as soon as someone else comes into it, and you hit a fan, you’re gone, right?

Andy Roddick said on his Served podcast

Djokovic empathized with his fellow former World No.1, who wanted to apologize to that spectator in person. It was Medvedev’s first clash with the Serb following their match at the 2023 US Open, where Djokovic lifted his 24th Grand Slam title.

To [Mohamed] Lahyani’s credit, Medvedev hits the person, Lahyani comes down, has quick conversations, makes a decision. Meddy knows it’s coming, he’s not surprised by it. And he knows he put himself in a position to get defaulted. And he took it. Meddy messed up. He deserved to be defaulted. He got defaulted. That’s that. Novak was winning this match anyways.

Andy Roddick added

Medvedev was chasing his fourth title of the season following his win at the Brisbane International, Hangzhou Open, and the Dubai Tennis Championships. World No.1 Jannik Sinner defeated him in the final of the Indian Wells Masters.

Novak Djokovic on whether he will play the China Open again

Novak Djokovic will play all four Grand Slam events next year. But his participation in the China Open next year is uncertain, Djokovic said. At the press conference after his win, Nole, who now holds a perfect 34-0 win-loss record in the event, having won the title in his seven appearances, said he would like to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

We will see (smiling). I will be back in Beijing, for sure. In which role and how, I don’t know yet (smiling). […] The scheduling sways quite a lot. It’s not as set in stone as it was for 20 years. But I will be back in China, for sure. Let’s see. I don’t know if I’m going to be playing a tournament. I would like to. One year is quite a long time right now for me to understand my schedule. But yeah, I would also like this unbeaten run to stay unbeaten.

Djokovic clinched his first title of the season in Beijing and is next scheduled to play in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season in Shanghai, where he is a four-time champion, last reaching a final in 2024 and losing it to Sinner. Last year, he was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Valentin Vacherot.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will be competing in a Masters 1000 event for the fourth time this season, following the Indian Wells Masters, Italian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters. The Shanghai Masters kicked off on October 7.

Before the Beijing ATP 500 event, Djokovic played one final, reaching the Australian Open final and losing to Carlos Alcaraz. He progressed to the final after beating two-time defending champion Sinner in the semifinals.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Reveals His ‘Biggest Motivation’ After Ousting Alexander Zverev in Beijing: “I Can Still Beat the Best Players”