Serena Williams’ Coach Says ‘Blanket Rule’ Can Stop Players From Hitting Spectators After Daniil Medvedev Incident During Novak Djokovic Clash

Daniil Medvedev drew backlash for his antics during his match against Novak Djokovic in the China Open semifinal. At one point, he appeared to mock the 39-year-old for his physical struggles.

Then, toward the end of the match, when Djokovic was on the cusp of winning, Medvedev was defaulted. He smacked a ball toward the stands, and it hit a spectator who got badly hurt and eventually left the court. Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani didn’t waste much time in disqualifying Medvedev.

Reacting to the incident, Serena Williams‘ former coach Rennae Stubbs said the only way to stop such incidents is to hand players harsh punishments by defaulting them if they smash a ball toward the crowd, even if it doesn’t hit anyone.

I would never throw my racket to the point where I would lose control into the crowd. I don’t understand why every single umpire doesn’t make this a blanket rule. I don’t care. I’ve seen [Stefanos] Tsitsipas hit balls into the crowd. I’ve told you the story with the referee who could come on the court and default him immediately said, ‘He [the spectator] caught the ball’. The guy caught the ball? Like none of that should matter.

Rennae Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

Djokovic was famously defaulted from his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the 2020 US Open as he smashed a ball in anger and it hit a female line judge in the throat.

If you ding a ball out of the stands and it goes anywhere near the crowd. There’s a little bit of ambiguity. What if it goes over the stands and goes out? I don’t care. I think we need to do something where if you hit a ball that leaves the tennis court and it goes in the vicinity of anywhere near the crowd or your racket, you should be defaulted immediately. It’s the only way to stop it.

Rennae Stubbs added

Djokovic, who now holds an 11-5 head-to-head record over Medvedev, received a walkover from Alex de Minaur in the final and won the China Open for the seventh time in his career. De Minaur played his third final of the season and was bidding to win his second title after his win at the Rotterdam Open.

Novak Djokovic makes his feelings known after winning the China Open

Novak Djokovic holds a perfect 34-0 win-loss record in the event, having won it in his previous six appearances. Before this season, the 39-year-old won the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

I always have high expectations and want to visualize myself with the trophy, but particularly here in Beijing, the place where I’ve never lost. This trophy means much more than one trophy, one tournament.

Novak Djokovic said after the match (H/T: BBC)

Djokovic will next be seen in action at the Shanghai Masters, which got underway on October 7. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will be chasing his fifth title in the tournament. He also played the final in 2024 but lost the title to Jannik Sinner.

This year has been quite challenging for me, lots of ups and downs and physical and health issues, so I was just trying to find a good feeling on the court. I know that when I’m feeling well and striking the ball well, I can still compete at the highest level. This week has been an evidence to that. I’m very proud.

Novak Djokovic added

In Shanghai, Valentin Vacherot will compete as the defending champion. Last year, he first defeated Djokovic in the semifinals, then beat Arthur Rinderknech in the final.

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