This could prove to be the second-costliest default in professional tennis, but Daniil Medvedev stands to lose much more.

Updated on: Oct 6, 2026, 08:07:52 IST

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Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from the China Open on Monday during his tense semifinal match against Novak Djokovic after he hit a spectator in the stands, who was sitting behind him, with a ball he struck in frustration. This could prove to be the second-costliest default in professional tennis, but Medvedev stands to lose much more.

Down 5-7, 3-5, with Djokovic serving for a place in the final, Medvedev missed a return after a forehand volley winner from the Serb. The ball bounced off the advertising boards and back towards Medvedev, who struck a backhand, sending it into the stands, where it ended up hitting a spectator. The spectator was immediately seen covering his face and was escorted from the stands for medical attention.

Medvedev waved his left hand in apology, but that could not save him from being disqualified.

Defaulted players not only have to forfeit their prize money from the tournament, but also their ranking points and hotel accommodations. In Beijing, his run to the semifinals would have earned him roughly $220,000 in prize money, which would make it the biggest default-related financial loss since Novak Djokovic was disqualified at the 2020 US Open for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball. Djokovic forfeited $250,000 for reaching the fourth round, along with the opportunity to win another Grand Slam title and the $3 million winner's prize.

The ATP Rulebook states: “Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match (including warm-up). For purposes of this rule, abuse of balls is defined as intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with disregard of the consequences.”

It is up to the chair umpire and the tournament supervisor to decide whether the incident warrants a code violation and, ultimately, a default.

Defaults on the ATP Tour are rare. Fourteen years ago, David Nalbandian lost $51,000 after being disqualified from the Queen's Club final for kicking a line judge. However, there have also been instances in which players successfully appealed their penalties, including Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov in 2024.

The other major loss for Medvedev — and perhaps the one that will hurt him even more — is the 200 ranking points he will forfeit, which could cost him a place in the ATP Finals. For a player who has earned $52.9 million in his career, the monetary loss may not affect him as much as missing the year-end tournament, especially after an uncharacteristically poor 2025 season.

He is currently in eighth place in the ATP year-to-date rankings, having collected 3,030 points this year, just 330 points more than No. 9 Alex de Minaur, who reached the China Open final on Monday.

Only the top eight players qualify for the ATP Finals, where the payout for simply participating and playing three matches is $331,000, while the winner receives nearly $5 million.

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