World No.1 Novak Djokovic has broken his silence to apologise for striking a ball in anger and hitting a line judge in the throat during his fourth-round clash at the US Open.
After dropping serve in the first set against Spainaird Pablo Carreno Busta, Djokovic took a ball out of his pocket and hit it behind him in frustration, striking the female judge in her throat.
She immediately collapsed onto the ground and could be heard gasping for breath during television coverage.
The Serb pleaded his case with officials, but was handed a mandatory suspension, ejected from an event he was a hot favourite to win, and docked earnings and ranking points from the tournament.
Djokovic reportedly tried to downplay the incident on the court, saying "she doesn't have to go to the hospital for this".
But he has apologised on social media for his behaviour and vows to learn from his mistakes.
"This whole situation has left me really sad and empty," he writes on Instagram. "I checked on the linesperson 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.
"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 apologise 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."
Four years ago, Djokovic was questioned about his on-court frustrations after a similar incident at the ATP Tour Finals. On that occasion, he smashed a ball into the crowd and was asked if that behaviour might one day come back to haunt him.
"You guys are unbelievable, you're always picking these kind of things.
"It could have been, yes," he sarcastically added. "It could have snowed in the O2 Arena [indoor], as well, but it didn't.
"It is not an issue for me."
The result ends Djokovic’s bid for an 18th Grand Slam title and his unbeaten 26-0 start to the season.
