(Video) Novak Djokovic Narrowly Misses the Ball Girl After Hitting the Ball in Frustration at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic will face Jakub Mensik in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

(Video) Novak Djokovic Narrowly Misses the Ball Girl After Hitting the Ball in Frustration at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic narrowly missed hitting the ball girl (via X/Lacoste/The Tennis Letter)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Novak Djokovic lost his temper during his third-round match at the Australian Open against Botic van de Zandschulp at the Rod Laver Arena. The Serbian legend came very close to being disqualified in the second set of the match after he hit a ball that almost got to the head of a ball girl standing close to the umpire.

Djokovic was in full control of the match against Van de Zandschulp in the first set. The Dutch star was very close to retiring from the match early in the first set due to a shoulder problem, but after receiving treatment, he returned to the court and continued playing.

Djokovic went on to win the set 6-3, but after that looked a bit angry at something. In the second set, he was 0-2 and looked confused by his poor display. However, he continued to battle. Can de Zandschulp then missed a shot, which Djokovic latched onto and smashed the ball in anger, which flew past the ball kid at high speed.

If the ball had taken a slight deflection, it would have taken a different path and perhaps landed on the ball kid’s head. And if that had happened, Djokovic would have almost certainly been thrown out of the Australian Open, which would have been the second time he would have been disqualified from a Grand Slam tournament.

In 2020, Djokovic infamously struck a line judge, which ultimately led to his disqualification. On Saturday (January 24), it seemed the incident was about the repeat itself. Under Grand Slam regulations, players can be defaulted if they hit in anger and it strikes an official, ball kid, or spectator.

In the case that it missed its intended target by a very narrow margin, there was no official penalty for such an incident, which, if given, would escalate the incident. The lack of warning from the officials, particularly the chair umpire, suggested the incident was viewed as a mistake rather than reckless, despite Djokovic’s show of frustration.

Nonetheless, Djokovic was able to focus on the match and went on to win four consecutive games. But his actions showed how things could turn bad for him at just one mistake in a Grand Slam tournament. The 38-year-old will surely learn from his mistakes and perform better on the court in the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic gives advice to his younger self on how to handle his emotions on the court

Novak Djokovic earned his 400th Grand Slam victory after beating Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round of the Australian Open. The former World No.1 beat the Dutch star 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) after two hours and forty-four minutes to seal his place in the fourth round of the Melbourne Grand Slam.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Novak Djokovic)

Djokovic has yet to drop a set at the tournament and has proven he can still be at his best level despite not taking part in any warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open. During his press conference, he was asked what advice he would give his younger self to control his emotions after his shot nearly hit a ball kid:

Calm down, you jerk. I’m too stressed on the court very often. Too much tension at times. I would say patience is a big one. When we are younger, regardless of the area of life we are involved in, we want everything here and now, today. Just having a bit of patience and trust in the process – and surrounding yourself with the right people – that’s one of the biggest keys early on in the career of the young player.

Djokovic will face Jakub Mensik in the fourth round of the Australian Open, a rematch of the 2025 Miami Open final. Djokovic is seeking to win his 25th Grand Slam at the tournament and will be eager to earn his revenge against the Czech Republic star.

Also Read: Madison Keys Reveals What She Plans to Do with Friend Jessica Pegula Before Australian Open Clash