Daniil Medvedev Made ‘Mistake’ by ‘Insulting Great Champion’ Novak Djokovic During China Open Clash

Daniil Medvedev‘s China Open campaign ended after disqualification in the semifinal. He faced Novak Djokovic and produced a tough fight throughout the match.

And when Nole was on the verge of winning, Medvedev smacked a ball into the crowd, and it hit a spectator sitting in the front row in the face. He was later seen leaving the stadium, with his hand covering his left eye. Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani immediately defaulted him from the match.

Djokovic, who himself was defaulted from his fourth-round match at the 2020 US Open for angrily smashing a ball that hit a line judge, felt sorry for Medvedev. The Russian ace later met that spectator and gifted him a racket with the message, “I am sorry“. Reacting to the whole thing, former British No.1 Greg Rusedski, on his Off Court with Greg podcast, said:

He played a great match, but you gotta be very careful where you throw your racket and where you hit the tennis ball. It can be unintentional, but it’s an automatic. The chair umpire did the right thing. You want to keep a safe environment for the fan. And sometimes we have to control our anger. These things happen, and he’s quite an emotional player where he can lose it.

But it’s not the only thing that invited criticism, as Medvedev also appeared to mock Djokovic, who appeared to be struggling physically. Rusedski said Medvedev made a huge mistake, as that kind of behavior ends up motivating the Serb.

He was mocking Djokovic during that match as well, pretending that he was having breathing problems. So, he is a unique character, Daniil Medvedev, but he’s good for the game… You want to play tennis, and you don’t want to insult the great champion because he just looks for something a little bit more to motivate him. And that’s what Daniil gave him. So I think he made a tactical mistake.

Greg Rusedski added

Medvedev will lock horns with Martin Landaluce or Jan-Lennard Struff in the opening round of the ongoing Shanghai Masters. He is a one-time champion in the Chinese Masters 1000 event, winning in 2019 by beating Alexander Zverev.

Greg Rusedski picks his favorite for the ATP Finals

Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner withdrew from the ATP Finals as he has prematurely ended his 2026 season due to his knee injury. While discussing the year-end championships on his Off Court with Greg podcast, Greg Rusedski picked Carlos Alcaraz as the favorite to win.

I say Carlos, and I say Novak Djokovic is the danger man. Let’s not forget, Zverev has won it on two occasions, so it’s going to be a battle of those three guys. But if I had to pick one guy right now, I think Carlos is building nicely; he’s still not at his best, but he’s winning.

Alcaraz has never won the title. He was, in fact, the player Sinner defeated in last year’s final.

The Spaniard will also compete in Shanghai, where he will face Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the opening round. Before arriving in Shanghai, the seven-time Grand Slam champion lifted his third title of the season in Tokyo by beating Jiri Lehecka. Alcaraz reached the quarterfinal in Shanghai once (in 2024). He skipped the event last year due to an injury.

Djokovic is a four-time champion here, last winning in 2018 and last playing a final in 2024 (lost to Sinner). The 39-year-old will chase his second title of the season after his Beijing win. In the final, he received a walkover from Alex de Minaur.

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