Novak issued a statement

Novak issued a statement

Djokovic was disqualified from the tournament on Sunday because he hit the line judge with the ball in the course of the first set against Pablo Carreno Busta.

After a short deliberation, the Chief Judge and the Supervisor decided to disqualify the first seed from the tournament.

"This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong. I’m not disclosing her name to respect her privacy. As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the @usopen tournament and everyone associated for my behavior. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I’m so sorry", Novak wrote on Instagram.

Djokovic, among other consequences, was deprived of all the points he earned on this year's tournament (which, taking into account the new rules, is zero points) and of the entire prize fund.

Serbian tennis player is not the first "bigger" name to be disqualified from a big tournament, since David Nalbandian at Queens finals, and Tim Henman at Wimbledon, previously experienced disqualification...

However, the organizers of the US Open reacted according to the rules in this case.