Novak Djokovic Narrowly Misses Ball Girl After Smashing Tennis Ball in ‘Heat of the Moment’ at Australian Open

A visibly frustrated Novak Djokovic narrowly avoided hitting a ball girl with a tennis ball during the Australian Open.

During his third-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp on Jan. 24, the Serbian tennis star, 38, smashed a ball away from the court in frustration, causing it to come dangerously close to hitting the ball girl standing at the side of the net. 

In videos shared on social media, the ball can be seen flying just inches away from the ball girl as she attempts to crouch away from its path.

“I apologize for that,” Djokovic said in a post-match press conference, according to the BBC. “That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment. I was lucky there and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”

Djokovic’s narrow miss didn’t come with any official consequences.

He was previously defaulted from the US Open back in 2020 for inadvertently hitting a female line judge in the throat amid his frustration during a match against Pablo Carreño Busta. 

“In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open,” the United States Tennis Association wrote in a statement at the time. 

This time, the athlete admitted that, if he were to give his younger self one piece of advice, it would be: “Calm down you, jerk.”

“I’m too stressed on the court very often,” he continued, per The Guardian. “Too much tension at times. I would say patience is a big one. When we are younger, regardless of the area of life we are involved in, we want everything here and now, today.”

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“Just having a bit of patience and trust in the process — and surrounding yourself with the right people — that’s one of the biggest keys early on in the career of the young player,” he added. “You have to build your character so you understand what kind of people you want around. People who can connect with you on a private level.”

Ultimately, Djokovic defeated his opponent in the third round of the Australian Open and, according to ESPN, became the first player to ever reach 400 wins in Grand Slam singles.

Djokovic is seeking his 25th Grand Slam title.