The tennis community continues to discuss a high-profile incident at the US Open, when the first racket of the world Novak Djokovic hit the line judge Laura Clarke with the ball, after which he was disqualified for unsporting behavior.
The Serb himself had to appeal to fans who went too far in their desire to protect the idol.
“Dear fans, thank you for your positive messages.
Please remember that the linesman who got hit yesterday also needs the support of our community.
She had done absolutely nothing wrong.
I ask you to be especially indifferent and caring towards her at this time.
Thanks to such moments, we become stronger and rise higher, ”wrote Djokovic.
The message appeared on the tennis player's Instagram page for a reason.
Attempts by the organizers to hide the identity of the arbiter were unsuccessful, and soon the woman's name was disclosed by the Serbian media.
Of course, after that, it turned out to be a matter of time to find the victim on social networks.
And now the indignation of fans, dissatisfied with the removal of Djokovic, found a specific addressee.
Hundreds of angry comments began to appear on Clark's page.
However, the fans were not limited to simple insults.
Photos of a woman with strong drinks gave rise to criticize her for alcoholism, but this was not enough for some.
It turned out that in 2008 a tragedy happened in the Clark family: her son Josh died in an accident.
According to media reports, the comment “Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon” appeared under the post dedicated to his memory, with several approving responses.
Despite the repeated apologies, the organizers applied severe sanctions to the athlete himself: he was not only disqualified, but also deprived of the points and prize money earned in the tournament in the amount of $ 250 thousand.In addition, he will have to pay a fine of $ 10 thousand.
It is worth noting that Clarke's injury was not too severe.
She did not require hospitalization, and the British media reported that she would be able to return to work before the end of the US Open, ending September 13.
At the moment she is in the hotel under medical supervision.
Opinions were divided over the incident itself and the fairness of Djokovic's punishment.
Some colleagues, coaches and experts condemned the Serb, criticizing him for not holding back his emotions on the court and sending the ball in a fit of anger.
Others, on the contrary, supported.
So, the American tennis player Ryan Harrison called the issued fine too harsh.
“This whole situation with Novak is terribly sad and I really sympathize with everyone involved.
But it seems to me alone that a fine of $ 260 thousand is too much?
Such fines are issued to entire teams for cheating and doping.
And it was an accident ... "- wrote Harrison.
At the same time, the opposite point of view was expressed by the honored coach of Russia Vladimir Kamelzon.
He also admitted that the incident was only an unfortunate coincidence, but stressed that Djokovic deserved disqualification.
“The consequences will be interesting.
I would have punished Djokovic with a good fine, he will not become poorer from this.
If there are other punitive measures, then it could turn out badly for world tennis, and especially for the US Open, where Novak was the only star.
To play against him or among themselves are different things ", - Kamelzon quotes" Championship ".
His former mentors also sided with the Serb.
Thus, the German Boris Becker urged him to "take a break and learn a lesson."
And the Czech Radek Stepanek suggested how much Djokovic worries about the incident.
“I think he will return to his family and loved ones to feel safe.
Will stay with loved ones.
One of its key benefits is fortitude.
No matter how sad and devastated he is - and from my own experience I know that strongly, because he is very sensitive and takes everything to heart - now he is also very angry with himself.
I think he will be able to cope with this if he returns to work, "- quotes Stepanek CNN.
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Publication from Boris Becker (@borisbeckerofficial) 6 Sep 2020 at 6:24 PDT
At the same time, most of the leading tennis players have so far chosen not to interfere in this story.
Austrian Dominik Thiem only noted that he was not influenced in any way by the removal of the main favorite of the US Open, as he tries to concentrate on his own performance.
And the Japanese woman Naomi Osaka even stated that she did not see the incident because she was sleeping.
Serena Williams refused to comment on the incident.
“I will not touch this topic.
I'll leave it to you.
I just won't touch her, ”Williams said at a press conference.